University of Dhaka Bangladesh

Communication Technology and Modernization’sImpact on Social Dysfunction in Bangladesh:

Addressing Remedial Measures

Muhammad KamruzzamanRegistration No: 103

M.Phil Final YearSession: 2011-2012

May, 2016

Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability StudiesUniversity of Dhaka

Bangladesh

Dhaka University Institutional Repository

ii

Communication Technology and Modernization’sImpact on Social Dysfunction in Bangladesh:

Addressing Remedial Measures(This thesis paper submitted as partial requirement for the fulfilment of

M.Phil degree in the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies,University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

Muhammad KamruzzamanRegistration No: 103

M.Phil Final YearSession: 2011-2012

Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability StudiesUniversity of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dr. Khondoker Mokaddem HossainProfessor

Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability StudiesUniversity of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

May, 2016

Submitted by

Supervised by


iii

HONOR PLEDGE

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance onthis thesis paper.

Student Signature Date

APPROVAL OF SUPERVISOR

I recommend that this paper be accepted as a thesis paper required for the fulfilment ofM.Phil degree in the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies,

University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Supervisor Signature Date


iv

DEDICATION

To

My beloved wife


v

ABSTRACT

Modernization is the replacement of traditional structural elements by modern ones and

networks have become the basic units of modern society. A new society emerges when

and if a structural transformation can be observed in the relationships of production, in

the relationship of power and in the relationship of experience. These transformations

lead to an equally substantial modification of social forms of space and time, and to the

emergence of a new culture. We are living in the information age where a

communication technological device like cell phone, internet, TV/radio etc. are not just

modern technology but also used for making calls, video calls, sending text messages,

chatting as well as in these devices users can use many features like operating system,

facebook, you tube, third-party apps and user interface, reminder of important tasks,

calendar, online libraries, dictionaries and so many more. Overall, it is arguably true that

people tend to "take the easiest route," thereby becoming more dependent on technology.

These are wonderful technological tools that can do almost anything and makes our life

easier. But, these modern communication technologies are being abused by the users and

have many bad impacts on our personal and social life. The relationship among

modernization, communication technology, crime and deviance is highly complex in the

network society. Many from the younger generation and students are highly dependent

on smart phones and internet. They spend most of their time in using these

communication technologies. People are too involved with their technological devices

and hardly have time with their friends and family in real life. Addiction and dependence

of using the most sophisticated communication decreases the academic performance,

face to face communication skill, social relation and also created many psychological

problems like depression, anxiety, insomnia and mental break down etc. Teenaged and

youths are just getting addicted to these and cannot leave their communication

technologies even for a few minutes. Criminals are also abusing these technologies for

various purposes like cyber crime, cyber stalking, demanding extortion, eve-teasing,

threatening, illegal use in examination, organizing criminal activity etc. Dysfunctional

uses of these technologies have many bad impacts on our social norms and values,

cultural, economic, politics and environment as well. So, dysfunctional use of modern

communication technologies can bring many miseries on us and now a day it’s a matter

of deep concern to everybody. The study objectives were to investigate different aspects


vi

of communication technology, modernization and social dysfunction; communication

technology based crime & deviance; its causes & consequences relating social

dysfunction in Bangladesh. To conduct the study, purposive sampling method is used

and total sample size (n) was 150. To supplement the survey findings case study, Key

Informant Interview and non participatory observation were also took part in the study.

The present study also gave some suggestive measures those can play a significant role

for controlling dysfunctional use of communication technologies.


vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am very grateful to Dr. Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain, Professor, Institute ofDisaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh for

supervising the project and giving advice and insights that helped me apply all research

steps carefully. After that, I am grateful to the Social Science Research Council (SSRC),

Planning Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of

Bangladesh for awarding M.Phil research grant and valuable support for signing the

agreement to conduct the study on “Communication Technology and Modernization’s

Impact on Social Dysfunction in Bangladesh: Addressing Remedial Measures”.

Above all, I am thankful to respondents, case respondents, KIIs of the study for their

valuable time for interview, giving objective information and for taking major part in

conducting the study successfully. Very special thanks are due to Mr. Arifur Rahman and

Mr. Md. Shibli for working in the research project as Research Assistants.

Finally, my dearest parents, beloved wife, relatives deserve special thanks for moral

encouragement and support.

Muhammad Kamruzzaman

May, 2016


viii

ABBREVIATIONS

ATM : Automated Teller Machine

AVN : Adult Video News

BBC : British Broadcasting Corporation

BCC : Bangladesh Computer

BPC : Bangladesh Penal Code

BTRC : Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

CDs : Compact Disks

DB : Detective Branch

DGFI : Directorate General of Forces Intelligence

DVD : Digital Video Disk

E-Mail : Electronic Mail

FB : Facebook

FCC : Federal Communications Commission

FM : Frequency Module

GD : General Diary

GPS : Global Positioning System

GSM : Global System for Mobile Communication

GSMR : Group Special Mobile Association

HD TV : High Definition Television

HTC : High Technology Corporation

ICT : Information Communication Technology

IGP : Inspector General of Police

ISL : Sheba Phone Ltd.

IT : Information Technology

ITU : International Telecommunication Union

IQ : Intelligent Quotient

JMB : Jamaitul Mujahedin Bangladesh

KIIs : Key Informant Interviews

LI : Lawful Interception

MEMS : Micro-electromechanical Systems

MMS : Multimedia SMS

MS : Microsoft


ix

NCST : National Council for Science and Technology

NMT : Nordic Mobile Telephone

OR : Odd Ratio

PSTN : Public Switched Telephone Network

RAB : Rapid Action Battalion

RF : Radio Frequency

RFID : Radio Frequency Identification

RISJ : Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

RUIM : Removable User Identity Module

SAR : Specific Absorption Rate

SIM : Subscriber’s Identity Module

SMS : Short Message Service

SPSS : Statistical Package for Social Sciences

UNESCO : United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

VOA : Voice of America

VOIP : Voice Over Internet Protocol

WAP : Wireless Application Protocol

WiFi : Wireless Fidelity

WiMax : Wireless Micro Wave Access

WWW : World Wide Web

1G : First Generation

2G : Second Generation

3G : Third Generation


i

ABSTRACT

Modernization is the replacement of traditional structural elements by modern ones and

networks have become the basic units of modern society. A new society emerges when

and if a structural transformation can be observed in the relationships of production, in

the relationship of power and in the relationship of experience. These transformations

lead to an equally substantial modification of social forms of space and time, and to the

emergence of a new culture. We are living in the information age where a

communication technological device like cell phone, internet, TV/radio etc. are not just

modern technology but also used for making calls, video calls, sending text messages,

chatting as well as in these devices users can use many features like operating system,

facebook, you tube, third-party apps and user interface, reminder of important tasks,

calendar, online libraries, dictionaries and so many more. Overall, it is arguably true that

people tend to "take the easiest route," thereby becoming more dependent on technology.

These are wonderful technological tools that can do almost anything and makes our life

easier. But, these modern communication technologies are being abused by the users and

have many bad impacts on our personal and social life. The relationship among

modernization, communication technology, crime and deviance is highly complex in the

network society. Many from the younger generation and students are highly dependent

on smart phones and internet. They spend most of their time in using these

communication technologies. People are too involved with their technological devices

and hardly have time with their friends and family in real life. Addiction and dependence

of using the most sophisticated communication decreases the academic performance,

face to face communication skill, social relation and also created many psychological

problems like depression, anxiety, insomnia and mental break down etc. Teenaged and

youths are just getting addicted to these and cannot leave their communication

technologies even for a few minutes. Criminals are also abusing these technologies for

various purposes like cyber crime, cyber stalking, demanding extortion, eve-teasing,

threatening, illegal use in examination, organizing criminal activity etc. Dysfunctional

uses of these technologies have many bad impacts on our social norms and values,

cultural, economic, politics and environment as well. So, dysfunctional use of modern

communication technologies can bring many miseries on us and now a day it’s a matter

of deep concern to everybody. The study objectives were to investigate different aspects

of communication technology, modernization and social dysfunction; communication


ii


dysfunction in Bangladesh. To conduct the study, purposive sampling method is used

and total sample size (n) was 150. To supplement the survey findings case study, Key

Informant Interview and non participatory observation were also took part in the study.

The present study also gave some suggestive measures those can play a significant role

for controlling dysfunctional use of communication technologies.


x

Table of Contents

List of Contents Page No.

Abstract iv

Acknowledgements vi

Abbreviation vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study 1

1.2. Statement of the Study Problem 2

1.3. Objectives of the Study 3

1.4. Significance of the Study 3

1.5. Research Design 4-7

1.5.1. Sources of Data 4

1.5.2. Sampling Design 5

1.5.3. Study Area 5

1.5.4. Data Collection 6

1.5.5. Data Analysis 8

1.6. Scope and Limitations of the Study 8

CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTS, THEORIES AND LAWS

2.1. Communication Technology 9-23

2.1.1. Types of digital communication technologies 10

2.1.2. Scenario of Communication Technology in Bangladesh 14-18

2.1.2.1. Cell phone 15

2.1.2.2. PSTN Phone 16

2.1.2.3. Internet 16

2.1.2.4. Facebook 17

2.1.2.5. Skype/imo/Viver/Tengu/whatsapp 17

2.1.2.6. Radio and Television 18


xi

2.1.3. Communication Technology and Modernization 18

2.1.4. Social Dysfunction 19

2.1.5. Crime 20

2.1.6. Deviance 21

2.1.7. Delinquency 22

2.1.8. Conceptual Framework of the Study 23

2.2. Related Theories 25

2.3. Review Related Laws in Bangladesh. 28-33

2.3.1. Information & Communication Technology Act, 2006 28

2.3.2. Pornography Control Act, 2012 31

2.3.3. The Indecent Advertisement Prohibition Act 1963 33

CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

3.1. Network Society 34

3.2. Communication Technology, Media and Network Society 36

3.3. Informationalism and Network Society 40

3.4. Communication Technology and Identity 42

3.5. Communication Technology, Crime and Deviance 43-58

3.5.1. Cell phone/land phone, Crime and Deviance 43

3.5.2. Internet, Crime and Deviance 52

3.5.3. Television/ radio, Crime and Deviance 58

3.6. Impact of Dysfunctional use of Communication Technologies 59-70

3.6.1. Social and Economic Impacts 60

3.6.2. Health Impacts 63

3.6.3. Potentially Dangerous Elements of Cell Phones 65

3.6.4. Teenagers most affected 69

3.6.5. Precautionary principle 70

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS FROM SURVEY

4.1. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents 71-73

4.1.1. Sex, Marital status and age group 71

4.1.2. Education level, Occupation and Monthly income level 72


xii

4.1.3. Living area, living place and Resident status 73

4.2 Different aspects of Communication Technology 74-81

4.2.1. Types of communication technology 74

4.2.2. Purposes of using communication technology 75

4.2.3. Facilities taken from communication technologies 75

4.2.4. Number of Cell phone, SIM card and E-mail ID 76

4.2.5. Source of money and monthly expenditure 77

4.2.6. Duration of talking, internet use and watching/hearing TV/Radio 78

4.2.7 Age group of respondents by Daily talk time 79

4.2.8. Age group of respondents by Daily internet use time 80

4.2.9. Age group of respondents by Daily watching/hearing TV/Radio time 81

4.3. Communication technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh 82-87

4.3.1. Involvement in Communication technology based deviant and criminal

activities 82

4.3.2. Involvement in cell phone based deviant activities 82

4.3.3. Involvement in internet based deviant activities 83

4.3.4. Involvement in Television/Radio based deviant activities 84

4.3.5. Involvement in communication technology based criminal activities 84

4.3.6. Age group by involvement in deviant and criminal activities 85

4.3.7. Occupation by involvement in deviant and criminal activities 86

4.3.8. Ways of involvement in deviant or criminal activities 87

4.4. Impacts of communication technology and modernization based dysfunction 88-92

4.4.1. Social dysfunction 88

4.4.2. Cultural dysfunction 88

4.4.3. Economic dysfunction 89

4.4.4. Health related dysfunction 90

4.4.5. Political dysfunction 90

4.4.6. Environmental dysfunction 91

4.4.7. Psychological dysfunction 92

4.5. Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies 93

4.6. Recommendations 95


xiii

CHAPTER 5: CASE STUDIES AND KIIs

5.1. Case Studies 98-102

5.1.1. Case Study 1 98

5.1.2. Case Study 2 99

5.1.3. Case Study 3 100

5.1.4. Case Study 4 101

5.1.5. Case Study 5 102

5.1.6 Summary Findings of Case Studies 102

5.2. Key Informant Interviews 104-113

5.2.1. Criminologist 104

5.2.2. Sociologist 106

5.2.3. Psychologist 107

5.2.4. IT Expert 110

5.2.5. Law enforcement 111

5.2.6 Summary Findings of Key Informant Interviews 113

CHAPTER 6: FINDINGS OF DISCUSSION

6.1. Demographic picture of communication technology users in Bangladesh 115

6.2. Purposes of using communication technology 115

6.3. Communication technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh 116

6.3.1. Cell phone based deviant activities 116

6.3.2. Internet based deviant activities 117

6.3.3. TV/Radio based deviant activities 117

6.3.4. Communication technology based criminal activities 117

6.4. Impacts of communication technology and modernization based dysfunction in

Bangladesh.

6.4.1. Social dysfunction 118

6.4.2. Cultural dysfunction 119

6.4.3. Economic dysfunction 119

6.4.4. Health related dysfunction 119


xiv

6.4.5. Political dysfunction 120

6.4.6. Environmental dysfunction 120

6.4.7. Psychological dysfunction 120

6.5. Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies 120

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

7.1 Conclusions 122

7.2. Recommendations 124

REFERENCES 126

APPENDICES 135

Appendix 01: Survey Questionnaire 135

Appendix 02: Location of Study Area 141

Appendix 03: Some collected photos of dysfunctional use of communicationtechnologies. 142


xv

List of Figure

Figure 1: Conceptual framework of the study 24

List of Tables

Table 1: Respondent’s Sex, Marital Status and age group 71

Table 2: Respondent’s Education level, Occupation and Monthly income level 73

Table 3: Respondent’s living place and Resident status 74

Table 4: Respondent’s Sources of money and Monthly expenditure level for using

communication technologies 78

Table 5: Respondents ways of involvement in deviant or criminal activities 87

List of Graphs

Graph 1: Types of communication technology users use most 74

Graph 2: Purposes of using communication technology 75

Graph 3: Taking Facilities from Cell phone, Broad band internet and Radio/Television76

Graph 4: Number of Cell phone, SIM Card and E-Mail ID used by the respondents 77

Graph 5: Respondent’s daily spend time for the purposes of talking over cell phone,

internet use and watching/hearing TV/Radio 79

Graph 6: Age group of respondents by Daily talk time 79

Graph 7: Age group of respondents by Daily internet use time 80

Graph 8: Age group of respondents by Daily watching/hearing TV/Radio time 81

Graph 9: Respondent’s and others involvement in communication technology based

deviant and criminal activities 82

Graph 10: Respondents involvement in cell phone based deviant activities 83

Graph 11: Respondents involvement in internet based deviant activities 83

Graph 12: Respondents involvement in TV/Radio based deviant activities 84

Graph 13: Respondents involvement in communication technology based criminal

activities 85

Graph 14: Age group by respondent’s involvement in deviant and criminal activities 86


xvi

Graph 15: Occupation by respondent’s involvement in deviant and criminal

activities 87

Graph 16: Patterns of social dysfunction accelerating for abusing communication

technologies 88

Graph 17: Patterns of cultural dysfunction accelerating for abusing communication

technologies 89

Graph 18: Patterns of economic dysfunction accelerating for abusing communication

technologies 89

Graph 19: Patterns of health related dysfunction accelerating for using or abusing


Graph 20: Patterns of political dysfunction accelerating for abusing communication

technologies 91

Graph 21: Patterns of Environmental dysfunction accelerating for using or abusing


Graph 22: Patterns of psychological dysfunction accelerating for using or abusing


Graph 23: Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies in Bangladesh 95

Graph 24: Suggestive measures to control abuse of communication technology 97

1

1.1. Background of the StudyCommon beliefs are often associated with crime in post-modern societies such as big

cities, mass society, liberal democratic states, capitalistic and socialist countries, and in

communities with advanced communication and media. In reality, the relationship

between modernization and prevalence of crime is highly complex and vary country to

country and society to society. Sometime, modernization process are accompanied by

declining, stable, or rapidly increasing crime rates, depending on the place, particular

conditions, and time frame under consideration (Savelsberg, 2011). Modernization is

subject to replacement of traditional structural elements in a particular state or society

In the context of development theory, modernization is understood as a trend toward

urbanization, mass communication, general political participation, and general education

(Lerner, 1958). The diffusion of a networking logic substantially modifies the operation

and outcomes in processes of production, experience, power, and culture. For Castells

(2000), networks have become the basic units of modern society. The network society

goes further than the information society that is often proclaimed. He argues that it is not

purely the technology that defines modern societies, but also cultural, economic and

political factors that make up the network society. A new society emerges when and if a

structural transformation can be observed in the context of production-relations, in the

relationship of power and experiences. These transformations lead to an equally

substantial modification of social forms of space and time, and to the emergence of a

new culture (Castells, 2008).

The modernization theory attempts to identify the social variables which contribute to

social progress and development of societies, and seeks to explain the process of social

evolution, progress and development The process of modernization is closely related to

technological advancement. For example, new technology is a major source of social

change. A new technology does not merely add something; it changes everything. People

in society are always coming up with new ideas and better ways of making life easier

and more enjoyable. Technology makes it possible for a more innovated society and

1 INTRODUCTION

2

broad social change. All aspects of our life are touched by the progress in science and

technology in some way or the other. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to

make and produce modern machines. Communications have also been modernized by

advanced technology. Communication technologies such as phones, cellular phones,

internet, fax machines, television, radio etc. have impacts on our modern life and all

these communication technologies sometimes are catalyst for influencing and

determining our modern life, life style, life plan, life calendar, life sector etc. Overall

lifestyle patterns are less diverse than the plurality choices available in day to day and

even in longer term strategic decisions. A lifestyle involves a cluster of habits and

orientations and hence has a certain unity important to continuing sense of ontological

security- that connects options in a more or less ordered pattern. The plurality of choices

which confronts individuals in a situation of high modernity derives from several

influences: living in a post traditional order; pluralization of life worlds; existential

impact of the contextual nature of warranted beliefs; prevalence of mediated experience

and transformation of intimacy (Giddens, 2008). Passing a single day without these

types of technologies is unthinkable for many of us in the present networking society.

Today the use of communication technology is not just limited to distant communication;

it is rather being used in multiple purposes. Beside the advantages of modern

communication technologies, abuses of these making loss of money; breaking security

system; increasing fraud, threats, eve teasing, family disputes, social & cultural

problems, new forms of crime & deviance.

1.2. Statement of the ProblemThe super fast growth of computer and others communication technologies and

equipments has paved the way for the genesis of new forms of crimes and deviances. For

example, the high-tech crime involves an attempt to pursue illegal activities through the

use of advanced electronic media. High technology as a form of sophisticated electronic

devices, i.e., the computer PC, cellular telephone, internet and other means of digital

communication in quite common use of today’s society. Even passing a single day

without these types of technologies is unthinkable for many of us. Therefore the use of

advanced communication technology is not just limited to distant communication; it is

rather being used in multiple purposes.

3

Beside the advantages of modern communication technologies, abuses of these for

making money; breaking security system; increasing fraud, threats, eve teasing, creating

family disputes including social and cultural problems, emerging new forms of crime and

deviance are numerous examples of modern society. But Bangladesh is in the plan for

positive and productive digitalization and the right use of information and

communication technology might play a significant role to make the plan more effective.

Therefore, the impact of communication technology and modernization on social

dysfunction in Bangladesh is a subject matter of worth studying

1.3. Objectives of the StudyThe broad objective of the study is to understand the impacts of communication

technology and modernization on social dysfunction in Bangladesh. The following

specific objectives are also formulated to achieve the study goals.

1. To understand the complex dynamics of communication technology,

modernization and social dysfunction in Bangladesh.

2. To identify different patterns of communication technology based crime and

deviance in Bangladesh.

3. To determine the social, cultural, economic, health, political and environmental

impacts of communication technology and modernization on societal functions in

Bangladesh.

4. To investigate the underlying issues and factors involving social dysfunction

concerned with communication technology and modernization in Bangladesh.

5. To come up with remedial measures to control social dysfunction out of

communication technology and modernization.

1.4. Significance of the StudyIn modern day, using of modern communication technology like cell phone is a symbol

effective communication means. Some of the modern technologies made long distance

into short for easy communication with each other. Unfortunately now a day, some tools

of modern communication technology are using for committing crime and violence.

Moreover many children are becoming deviants due to the means of some modern

communication technology. This study will show the impacts of communication

technology and modernization on smooth social functions in Bangladesh from various

4

aspects. In Bangladesh, there is no significant study on impacts of communication

technology and modernization on social dysfunction and criminality. Some of the

specialized law enforcement agencies are able to understand the socio-demographic

context of deviant activities by addressing the prevailing crime and deviant by using of

modern communication technology. But in general, most of the crimes and deviant acts

are being happened in our society especially in urban society with the help of advanced

communication technology. This study will therefore try to understand that how the

guardians, educational institutions, organizations, policy makers, law enforcing agencies

and government can play a vital role in reducing communication technology based crime

and criminal activities. Moreover, this study can be treated as the ready reference to

future research.

1.5. Research Design

1.5.1. Sources of Data

Both primary and secondary data were used in the study. Different types of quantitative

and qualitative data were gathered using multiple sources of data. Primary data were

mainly collected from 150 communication technology users in the Dhaka City through

employing sample survey method. A pre-test was conducted by administering a draft

survey questionnaire. The draft questionnaire the survey focused and aimed to

investigate different aspects of communication technology, modernization and social

dysfunction; communication technology based crime & deviance; its causes &

consequences relating social dysfunction in Bangladesh.

Five case studies and five key informant interviews (KIIs) were undertaken to unearth

the in-depth understanding of the problem and substantiate the survey findings. Some

non-participant observations were made to look at different patterns of social dysfunction

related to communication technology in Bangladesh. Some secondary data on

communication technology and modernization’s impacts on social dysfunctions were

collected from the documents of newspaper articles, texts, reports, journals, books,

research papers and publications of various relevant issues and internet. Moreover

literature survey was one of the key tools for getting secondary data collection and

analysis.

5

1.5.2. Sampling Design

The sample respondents were selected from Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), now

Bangladesh has six cell phone operators and total cell phone subscribers in the country

reached to 12 crore 87 lac 69 thousand on July, 2015 (The Daily Prothom Alo:

September 08, 2015). As there is no accurate statistics on communication technology

users in Dhaka city due to huge number of people come in and pass out the city each day,

the present study could not fixed any specific sampling frame. But the sample size is

determined on the basis of researcher’s Judgment. Keeping time and resource constraints

in mind and considering the heterogeneous characteristics of users of communication

technology in Dhaka city, the total sample size was determined as 150. The present

study used purposive sampling technique for selection of respondents and was

determined on the basis of pre-specified characteristics.

The study also included few (five) case studies and five key informant interviews. The

respondents for case studies and key informant interviews were also selected

purposively determining study objectives.

1.5.3. Study Area

Dhaka City was selected as the study area for this research work. The study area is

located in the center and capital city of Bangladesh (Appendix 2). Dhaka city was

chosen considering its size, heterogeneity, various levels of people who commute from

different parts of Bangladesh. Dhaka city is the core city and has been supported with

advanced means of transport, communications and public services. Every day, a huge

number of commuters come in and pass out the city. Multifarious activities happen in

the mega city and that’s why I have chosen Dhaka city which would represent whole

country’s reality about communication technology and modernization’s impact on social

dysfunction.

Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of

the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, has a population of over

14 million (population census 2011), making it the largest city in Bangladesh. It is the

8th largest city in the world and also among the most densely populated cities in the

world. Modern Dhaka is the center of political, cultural and economic center of

6

Bangladesh. Although its urban infrastructure is relatively developed in the country,

Dhaka suffers from various problems such as pollution, congestion, and lack of adequate

services due to its huge population. In recent decades, Dhaka has seen to be part of

modernization of transport, communications and public services. The city is being

attracted by large foreign investments and greater volumes of external commerce and

trade. It is also experiencing an increasing influx of people from across the country. This

has made the mega city Dhaka as one of the fastest growing city in the world.

The Awami League government on 29 November 2011 dissolved the Dhaka City

Corporation by the Local Government (City Corporation) Amendment Bill 2011 passed

by the Parliament of Bangladesh after being placed in the Parliament. The city

corporation split into two corporations, named Dhaka City Corporation North and Dhaka

City Corporation South, with the southern wing holding more territory than the north.

Today it serves as one of the prime centre for culture, education and business in the

region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhaka).

1.5.4. Data Collection

The study followed multiple methods of data collection. Both primary and secondary

data were collected and used for the study. To address the objectives of the study, both

quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. The primary data were collected by

conducting sample survey, case study, non-participant observation and Key Informant

Interviews (KIIs). On the other hand, the secondary data were collected from various

documents, including newspaper articles, texts, reports, journals, books, research papers

and publications of various relevant issues and internet. For conducting the study, at

least two experienced researchers were employed as field investigators.

Survey

Sample Survey was the main method of data collection for the study. But considering the

nature of the study, non-participant observation, case study and key informant interviews

were also used to supplement and complement the survey data. The survey selected the

respondents of Dhaka City who are the users of communication technologies. A total 150

samples were selected for the study. The total respondents were categorized into three

tiers of age groups such as: Teen age (13-19 years), Youth (20-30 years) and Adults (31-

7

above years). Total respondents were selected from three groups of people

disproportionately and for each age group, respondents were selected purposively.

In the survey, the respondents were asked about various issues and problems related to

different aspects of communication technology, modernization and social dysfunction;

crime & deviance related to communication technology and its causes and consequences

relating to social dysfunction in Bangladesh. In the survey a structured questionnaire

(appendix 01) and two expert data collectors were recruited.

Observation

The researcher and the enumerators followed the non-participant observation method for

assessing different aspects of communication technology, modernization and social

dysfunction in Bangladesh.

Case Study

The Case study and key informant interviews were two qualitative methods used for in-

depth collection of information for the study. The tendency of abusing of

communication technology is a very sophisticated, hidden but sensitive issue. To assess

such situation, five (5) case studies were conducted under the study. The case study

respondents were selected disproportionately (1 for the age group 13-19 years, 3 for 20-

30 years and 1 for above 30 years) and purposively. Two more respondents were

selected from the age group 20-30 years for availability of respondents in the study area.

Through the case studies, the respondents provided in-depth information about the

subject matters. The names of the case respondents mentioned in this study are not real

rather pseudo and symbolic alphabetical name has been used for keeping their name and

identity confidential. For conducting the case study, structured check list/schedule were

also used.

Key Informant Interview (KII)

Five key informants were selected purposively keeping in mind the experience and

knowledge on communication technologies and modernization. KIIs were conducted

with different expertise including sociologist, criminologist, psychologist, law

enforcement, law & IT expert and communication technology user’s guardian.

Sociologist and criminologist were selected to investigate the use, abuse and misuse of

8

cell phone, different social and economical problems, and its link with crime and

deviance. Psychologists was selected to know the psychological impact and behavioral

changes emerged for using and abusing cell phone and it’s after effect. The RAB and

Police preferred for understanding the nature of criminal activities related to abuse of

communication technologies. All key informants were asked to provide policy measures

to control dysfunctional use of communication technologies. For key informant

interviews structured questionnaire, field notes and tape recorder were used.

1.5.5. Data Analysis

Descriptive statistical technique was used for analysis of the survey findings. The study

dealt mostly with nominal and ordinal variables for which percentage, cross tabulation

and measures of central tendency were more appropriate to analyze. Survey data were

analyzed with the support of SPSS software and MS Excel. Tables, graphs etc., were

used for presentation of the findings. For systemic procedure and careful data entry,

code book has been used for the study.

1.6. Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study is conducted in the capital city which is the busiest city of the country. Every

day, a huge number of commuters come in and pass out from the city. So, it was very

hard to determine the total cell phone users in Dhaka city. The study is also based on the

available and accessible primary data gathered through survey method, case study and

Key Informant Interview (KII) and secondary information was analyzed through review

of literature. The nature of the study faced some kind of problem in the context of

privacy issues. Difficulties to accessibility and availability of secondary information on

cell phone are the major limitations of the study. Considering the nature of the study

problem, the survey used a small sample. The analysis of the findings is based on some

statistical tools which is also a limitation of the study. Besides, due to type of variables,

the findings were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics mostly.

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2.1. Communication TechnologyWe are living in the information age, and there has never been a suitable technology like

modern and advanced technology in the past or even for a particular period of human

history. Digital technologies have contributed to revolutionize communication in the

modern world and it has helped rapid integration into our lives in the context of making a

phone call or exchange messages. Communication exchanging or transferring of a

message from a sender to a receiver. The method by which the communication is carried

is referred to as the medium. A device is one medium that is commonly used throughout

the modern world to send and receive communication. Communication devices are used

in personal life, business, government and society as a whole.

Communication technology encompasses a broad range of mediums, from the internet to

radio to television to wireless signal providers. It is used in the business sphere, in

personal relationships and also in public spaces that are neither primarily commercial nor

personal, such as a subway stop that uses televisions to broadcast schedule changes.

Traditionally, communication technology is limited to hardware such as radio receptors

or television sets. However, the popularity of wireless technologies has correspondingly

made the concept of communication technology slightly more ethereal. Although “hot

spots” are required to transmit wireless signal, the seemingly unlimited variety of

wireless devices makes this form of communication technology particularly invigorating

in terms of its potential growth. Regardless of their specific form, the last few decades

have seen an unparalleled rise in the availability of these technologies among the public.

In 1985, for example, there were a total of 340,000 cell phone subscribers in the United

States. In 2012, there are now 5.9 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. This shift in

the span of only 27 years has had a dramatic effect on how people relate to one another

(Smith, 2012).

2 CONCEPTS, THEORIES AND LAWS

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2.1.1. Types of digital communication technologiesSarokin, a former researcher with Google Answers, stated in an online article that the

Internet and cell phones are two of the most prominent examples of the influence of the

Information Age, but there are many other types of digital communication technologies.

The Internet and Email: In 1962, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology described a "Galactic Network" of interconnected computers that could talk

to one another. Since then, the idea of the Internet was evolved. Relying on packet

switching the digital transfer of short bursts of data globally connected computer

networks quickly developed into sophisticated digital communication technologies.

Email over the network was introduced in the 1970s and has since grown into one of the

most widespread forms of digital communication, both on the Internet and through

private networks. Packet switching protocols matured and speeds increased. In 1980, the

first widespread computer virus crashed the global computer network.

In the 1990s, digital communication over networked computers emerged from limited

use in the academic, government and business world to come into use by the public. The

World Wide Web, the Internet on steroids, was described in 1991, the White House

website appeared in 1993, and the first Internet advertising came online in 1994. As

transmission speeds increased, the Internet evolved from principally one-way

communication to a social two-way system Web 2.0 at sites like Face book and Twitter.

Cell Phones: Martin Cooper (pioneer of mobile telephony) is an American former

Motorola vice president and division manager who in the 1970s led the team that

developed the handheld mobile phone (www.economist.com/node/13725793). Mobile

phones and their networks were first deployed in Sweden in 1981 via the Nordic Mobile

Telephone (NMT) System (analogue; 450 MHz bandwidth; 1st Generation or 1G); mass

deployment was present in Sweden by 1985. The analogue 900 MHz system started there

in 1986, but was closed in Sweden by 2000. The digital system (Global System for

Mobile Communication; GSM) started in 1991, representing the second generation of

mobile phone systems, or "2G" (Khurana, 2008).

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The earliest generation of handheld mobile telephones relied on the analog

communication technology of the conventional phone network. The first phones using

digital communication, known as 2G phones, appeared in the early 1990s. Digital phone

technology developed rapidly after that. The first text message was sent in 1993, and the

transmission of other digital content, such as ringtones and advertising, followed shortly

after. In 2001, 3G digital phone communication arrived, providing faster transmission

and making broadband communication practical for multiple media such as voice,

Internet and GPS. The 4G phones appeared later that decade, offering digital

communication 10 times faster than earlier technologies.

Television and Radio: Broadcasting is a crucial instrument of modern social and

political organization. At its peak of influence in the mid-20th century, national leaders

often used radio and television broadcasting to address entire countries. Because of its

capacity to reach large numbers of people, broadcasting has been regulated since it was

recognized as a significant means of communication. Beginning in the early 1980s, new

technologies–such as cable television and videocassette players–began eroding the

dominance of broadcasting in mass communications, splitting its audiences into smaller,

culturally distinct segments. Previously a synonym for radio and television, broadcasting

has become one of several delivery systems that feed content to newer media.

Television, system of sending and receiving pictures and sound by means of electronic

signals transmitted through wires and optical fibers or by electromagnetic radiation.

These signals are usually broadcast from a central source, a television station, to

reception devices such as television sets in homes or relay stations such as those used by

cable television service providers. Television is the most widespread form of

communication in the world. Television has a variety of applications in society, business,

and science. The most common use of television is as a source of information and

entertainment for viewers in their homes. Security personnel also use televisions to

monitor buildings, manufacturing plants, and numerous public facilities. Public utility

employees use television to monitor the condition of an underground sewer line, using a

camera attached to a robot arm or remote-control vehicle. Doctors can probe the interior

of a human body with a microscopic television camera without having to conduct major

surgery on the patient. Educators use television to reach students throughout the world.

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As online computer systems become more popular, televisions and computers are

increasingly integrated. Such technologies combine the capabilities of personal

computers, television, and in some cases telephones, and greatly expand the services

these equipment provide. Consumers may eventually need only one system, which they

could use for entertainment, communication, shopping, and banking in the convenience

of their home. Since 2009, the Federal Communications Commission has required TV

stations in the U.S. to broadcast exclusively in digital format. The transition from

conventional to digital television technologies made high-definition television possible

and established the television as more than a simple receiver of transmitted signals.

Many digital TVs are multimedia devices that display television programming, games,

photographs and on-demand movies, stream Internet content, play music and handle

recorded media like CDs and DVDs. As televisions become more interactive, they are

evolving into true two-way digital communication devices (Marc, 2000).

Other Electronic Communication: Digital communications have become ubiquitous in

modern society and encompass a wide variety of technologies. Remote controls, keyless

entry devices, walkie-talkies, Bluetooth earpieces, GPS satellites, cash registers and

credit cards are among the many technologies that communicate digitally with people

and with other devices. Futurists have coined the term "The Internet of Things" to refer

to the trend of enabling thousands of types of devices, from light bulbs to washing

machines, with digital communication capabilities.

Physical Digital Media: Given the sophistication of the instantaneous transmission of

digital data, it can be easy to overlook the more mundane communication activities. We

store digital data on many types of physical media, including CDs, DVDs, flash drives,

tape and compact memory chips. Every time you hand a friend or colleague a file,

whether you transfer it electronically or pass along a DVD, you are engaged in a form of

digital communication.

Jung, another prominent technology researcher mentioned that since the development of

the Internet, electronic means of communication over the years have grown and

improved. There are six types of Electronic Communication where email has become

one of the more basic forms of communication, overshadowed by social media, instant

messaging and video chatting.

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Web Pages: World Wide Web users post content on websites for others to view. The

content may be simple text, but it might also contain multimedia files including images,

sounds, videos or streaming content. Unlike many other forms of electronic

communication, most Web content is pulled from the Web by users who are seeking

information, rather than pushed to subscribers. While not as permanent as traditional

media like paper, Web pages can archive information for extended periods.

E-mail: Email is a method originally intended to imitate physical mail. Messages are

delivered from one specific address to one or more specific addresses. Users are alerted

to the presence of new messages in their inboxes by email clients that display the content

and offer an opportunity to reply. Messages are primarily text but may include file

attachments of various types including images and short movies. Unlike instant

messages, emails are generally not expected to be read immediately upon receipt. Most

email readers keep track of conversations that include multiple people through the use of

threads. Thus email is ideally suited for long, involved conversations between two

people or among small groups of people.

Forums: Conversations that go on indefinitely, involve large numbers of people or need

to be archived are not well suited to email. Forums, often hosted on the Web, provide an

alternative that combines many of the aspects of email and Web pages. They involve

discussions around a single, limited topic but can take place over months or years and

involve dozens or even hundreds of participants. Most use a treelike structure that allows

participants to jump in at whatever level their comments are most appropriate.

Text and Instant Messaging: Text messaging uses cellular airwaves and protocols to

deliver textual messages from one cellular phone to another or from one phone to a

group of other phones. Text messaging is usually intended as near-instant

communication and can be quicker than a phone call because the sender doesn't have to

wait for the recipient to answer before delivering a message. Because text messaging is

informal and easy, it's sometimes called chatting. Text messaging can also facilitate

private discussions when there is a chance that a phone call could be overheard. Instant

messaging is similar to text messaging but is carried over the Internet rather than over

cell phone airwaves.

14

Social Networking: Social networking sites facilitate communication among people

with common interests or affiliations. Sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn provide

places for people to interact, sometimes in real time. Microblogging services like

Twitter, allow short textual messages of no more than 140 characters to be broadcast to a

large audience. Unlike text messages, which are delivered to only small groups, micro

blog posts are intended to be seen by all of a user's followers. Micro blog users can

repost messages that they want to share with their own followers, so a micro blog post

can spread quickly. A widely reposted message is called a viral post.

Video Chat: Like instant messaging, most video chatting is conducted over Internet

protocols that stream images from one device to another. At times, nothing beats a face-

to-face conversation. Video chats provide immediacy to a conversation. Because a

person's tone is often easier to read when you can see his face, businesses often use

videoconferencing to aid in virtual meetings.

2.1.2. Scenario of Communication Technology in BangladeshBangladesh is a country with tremendous potential for development through science and

technology. Our limited land and high population density implies application of modern

scientific methods and technology for cultivation and give thrust to development of

industries. In order to improve the living standard of the common mass through

expansion of development activities in science and technology and its application, the

Government of Bangladesh has formed National Council for Science and Technology

(NCST). Recently formulated National Information and Communication Technology

Policy (2002) has also given enormous importance to the development of ICT for

capturing our share in the multi-billion dollar software export market, for ensuring good

governance, for enacting ICT related policies, special allocation of funds for software

projects, development of world class ICT professionals and creation of a world class ICT

institution for promoting excellence in the field. National ICT Policy includes issues of

human resource development, creation of ICT infrastructure, facilitating research and

development on ICT, development of ICT industries on a priority basis. It has also

highlighted importance of hardware industries, e-Commerce, e-Governance, legal issues

related to ICT, application of ICT in health care, application of ICT in agriculture to

exploit the potential for development of rural economy and agro-business. Application of

15

ICT in other areas like social welfare, transportation and the judiciary system is also

highlighted. Realizing the importance of ICT and the enormous impact it can create in

our everyday life, the name of the Ministry has been changed from Ministry of Science

and Technology to the Ministry of Science and Information & Communication

Technology. The Ministry of Science and ICT have been entrusted with the

responsibility of harmonious growth of this sector in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Computer

Council (BCC), the apex body having the responsibility for promotion of all sorts of ICT

activities in the country, is also governed by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Development of Science and ICT depends on the expansion of telecommunication

sector. This sector is still under developed due to lack of deregulation and open

competition. In 2002, independent telecom regulatory authority, Bangladesh

Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has been created (Salim, 2006).

2.1.2.1. Cell phone

Mobile phone sector was opened up for private sector investment in Bangladesh in 1989.

The leading mobile phone service provider, GP, launched the country’s first wireless

application protocol (WAP) Internet services in August 2006 (Hamid & Akter, 2009).

According to The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC),

now Bangladesh has six cell phone operators and total cell phone subscribers in the

country reached to 12 crore 87 lac 69 thousand on July, 2015. But, from the statistics of

Group Special Mobile Association (GSMR) at present Bangladesh has 6 crore 70 lac

unique cell phone users (The Daily Prothom Alo: September 08, 2015). According to the

study of Mobiforbes, a cell phone research and development organization published that

Bangladesh is the most top country in south Asia in terms of cell phone users and it is

75% of total population followed by Pakistan (65 percent) and India (62%) (The Daily

Prothom Alo: November 24, 2014).

2.1.2.2. PSTN Phone

According to BTRC, the total number of PSTN Phone Subscribers in Bangladesh has

reached 1028.19 thousand at the end of May 2010 in where BTCL 872.41 thousands,

Telebarta 56.42 thousands, Jalalabad Telecom Ltd. 39.57 thousands, Westec Ltd. 17

thousands, Sheba Phone Ltd. (ISL) 11.62 thousands, S. A. Telecom System Ltd. 18.03

thousands, and Banglaphone Ltd. 2.24 thousands.

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2.1.2.3. Internet

According to the recent report of ITU and UNESCO on the state of Broadband 2015,

Bangladesh is clearly ahead of India and Pakistan for using internet in the cell phone

securing position 149th out of 189 followed by 155th and 156th in the world. On the other

hand, 6.4 people use mobile broadband internet out per 100 in Bangladesh followed by

India (5.5) and Pakistan (5.1). Among the developing countries those have internet

connection home to home, Bangladesh position is 101th (6.5 %) out of 133. The report

also mentioned, Bangladesh position is 162th in the world in terms of number of person

use internet (ITU & UNESCO, 2015).

According to BTRC, the total number of Internet Subscribers in Bangladesh has

reached 36249.018 thousands at the end of August 2013 in where mobile internet users

34711.101 thousands, ISP & PSTN 1222.62 thousands, WiMAX 315.297 thousands.

Bangladesh, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has had an impressive

internet penetration growth as its users have reached more than 5.50 million until last

year (2011) from only 100,000 users in 2000. According to the International

Telecommunication Union (ITU), a total of 4.88 million internet users are added in the

last calendar year to only 617,300 users in 2010 in Bangladesh. The country's mobile

phone penetration has also jumped to 93.78 million in June 2012 which has facilitated

the internet as well as Facebook users in the country (thefinancialexpress-bd.com:

August 14, 2012).

2.1.2.4. Facebook

At present facebook is the most popular social networking media in the Bangladesh.

According to information technology ministry of Bangladesh, there are twelve new

facebook ID is being opened in each second in Bangladesh and now its growth position

is second in the world. Within very short time Bangladesh has 2.5 crore facebook users

and most of them about 90 percent are under 25 years old (The Daily Jugantor:

September 08, 2015).

A survey report of Social bakers, a global social media and digital analytics company

stated, some 2.80 million people of Bangladesh use the world's strongest social media,

Facebook (FB), as it secured 51st position among the nations using the network globally.

Report also mentioned people of 18-24 years of age are the major FB users in

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Bangladesh as 1.37 million or around 50 per cent of the total users subscribe it, followed

by the users of 25-34 years of age, who are 29 per cent of the total FB users. Out of the

total 2.80 million FB users in Bangladesh, 1.37 million are young (18-24 years of age).

Among the FB members, 78 per cent are male and 22 per cent female. It also said,

United States of America (USA) is on the top of the list with 159.03 million users, while

Brazil has secured the second position with its 54.95 million subscribers and India is in

the third position with its 51.96 million FB members. The Socialbakers said that

Facebook penetration in Bangladesh is 1.77 per cent compared with the country's 158

million population (thefinancialexpress-bd.com: August 14, 2012).

2.1.2.5. Skype/Imo/Viver/Tengu/Whatsapp

Skype is a premium voice-over-IP service and instant messaging client that is developed

by the Microsoft Skype Division. The service allows users to communicate with peers by

voice using a microphone, video by using a webcam, and instant messaging over the

Internet. Phone calls may be placed to recipients on the traditional telephone networks.

Calls to other users within the Skype service are free of charge, while calls to landline

telephones and mobile phones are charged via a debit-based user account system. Skype

has also become popular for its additional features, including file transfer, and

videoconferencing. In the world, Skype had 663 million registered users as of the end of

2010. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype). Now a days, imo, viver, tengu and whatsapp

are the other most commonly used internet based communication technologies.

2.1.2.6. Radio and Television

Radio is an important form of media in Bangladesh as it is easily accessible - especially

to those in smaller communities. Radio is also a powerful tool in reaching individuals

who are illiterate. Such radio transmissions are used to provide information to such

communities. Community Radio also promotes culture and diversity. Radio broadcasts

such as these will be directed to the needs and interests of the local people. The

following is a list of radio stations that can heard in Bangladesh via shortwave

transmission and on the Internet: BBC – Bengali Service, VOA – Bengali Service, Radio

Metrowave, DW Radio – Bengali, Bangla Radio, Broadcastings, Uradhura Radio,

Eurobangla Audiocast, Radio Probash and Bangla Music Radio

(http://www.bangladesh.com/radio/). Recent years have seen an massive upsurge in

Bangladeshi television channels and FM Radio Stations. The total number of TV

18

Channels in Bangladesh is 27 including 3 state-owned TV Channels and the total number

of Radio stations is 16 including 1 state-owned station named Bangladesh Betar and 1

online Radio station (http://en.wikipedia.org).

2.1.3. Communication Technology and ModernizationModernization is the replacement of traditional structural elements by modern ones. In

the context of development theory, modernization is understood as a trend toward

urbanization, mass communication, general political participation, and general education

(Lerner, 1958). Modernization may be accompanied by declining, stable, or rapidly

increasing crime rates, depending on the place, particular conditions, and time frame

under consideration (Savelsberg, 2011). Classical sociologists have understood

modernization as a movement from small social units toward mass society, toward

functional differentiation (Durkheim, 1984), toward high levels of rationality or toward

modern action orientations such as universalism, achievement, and affective-neutrality

(Weber, 1952). Whereas, modernization theory attempts to identify the social variables

which contribute to social progress and development of societies, and seeks to explain

the process of social evolution. It has strong relation with technology. New technology is

a major source of social change. A new technology does not merely add something; it

changes everything". People in society are always coming up with new ideas and better

ways of making life easier and more enjoyable. Technology makes it possible for a more

innovated society and broad social change. All aspects of our life are touched by the

progress in science and technology in some way or the other. Technology is the use of

scientific knowledge to make modern machines. Communications have also been

modernized by technology. The effects of this modernization are there for us to see.

Beside the advantages, communication technologies such as phones, cellular phones,

Internet, fax machines, television, radio are etc. have adverse impacts on us including 1)

children are becoming addicted to television programmes and computer games. Their

education and outdoor activities have taken a back seat. 2) An overexposure to foreign

culture is causing the younger generation to imitate the youth of the Western Nations and

forget their own culture. 3) Criminals make use of the modern technology to promote

fraud, crime and terrorism. 5) Unemployment in some sectors will increase as machines

take over work done by men earlier (Sam, 2011).

19

2.1.4. Social DysfunctionA perspective is simply a way of looking at the world. A theory is a set of interrelated

propositions or principles designed to answer a question or explain a particular

phenomenon; it provides us with a perspective. Sociological theories help us to explain

and predict the social world in which we live. Sociology includes three major theoretical

perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic

interactionist perspective. Each perspective offers a variety of explanations about the

social world and human behavior. The functionalist perspective is based largely on the

works of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton.

According to functionalism, society is a system of interconnected parts that work

together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole.

For example, each of the social institutions contributes important functions for society:

Family provides a context for reproducing, nurturing, and socializing children; education

offers a way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth; politics

provides a means of governing members of society; economics provides for the

production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services; and religion provides

moral guidance and an outlet for worship of a higher power. The functionalist

perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part

influences and is influenced by other parts (Mooney, Knox, and Schacht, 2007).

To offset the focus on stability of traditional functionalism, Merton introduced the

concept of “dysfunction.” Whereas functions contribute to the adjustment of the system,

dysfunctions are those consequences that lead to instability and ultimately change. The

analyst must recognize, Merton asserted, that institutional structures and cultural

elements are interrelated and mutually supporting, and that the dominant orientation of

socio-cultural systems is to stability (Merton 1948/1968, 95).

Merton insisted that social structures can only be analyzed in terms of both statics

(stability) and dynamics (change). The concept of dysfunction allows functional theory

to focus on change. The concept of dysfunction is based on tension, strain, or

contradictions within component elements of socio-cultural systems. Dysfunctional

elements create pressures for change within the system (Merton 1948/1968, 176). Social

mechanisms within the system, including the interrelation and predominantly mutually

20

supporting elements of the system, operate to keep these strains in check, attempting to

limit or minimize change of the social structure. However, such mechanisms are not

always effective, and the accumulation of stress and resulting conflict often cause

systemic change. One of the primary goals of functional analysis is to identify these

dysfunctions and examine how they are contained or reduced in the socio-cultural system

as well as how they sometimes cause systemic or fundamental change (Merton,

1948/1968, p. 107).

2.1.5. CrimeThe concept of crime is always been changing from the ancient age with the changes of

society, civilization, culture, economic, politics, science etc. Which act is considered, as

a crime today, may be it will not considered as a crime tomorrow. Which act is crime

that declared by the law of the state perspective to the society? Therefore, there is no

universal definition of crime. The concept of crime is a running process. Simply we can

define crime as any kind of activities social, moral or political, which violates the regular

law, is called crime. Or, any kind of antisocial, immoral or simple behavior is crime.

According to Mr. Tappan, “an intention al act or omission in violation of criminal law,

committed without any defense or in justification and penalized by the law as felony or

misdemeanor”. There are certain characteristics of crime, which make an unlawful act or

omission punishable under the law of the land. To be a crime, all condition and

characteristics that are given below should be fulfill. 1) External consequence: Crime

always have a harmful impact on society ma it be social, personal, emotional or mental.

2) Act (Actus): There should be an act or omission to constitute a crime. Intention or

mens-rea alone shall not constitute a crime unless it is followed by some external act. 3)

Mens-rea or guilty mind: Mens-rea is one of the essential ingredients of a crime. It may,

however, be director implied. An act alone does not constitute a crime unless it is

accompanied by guilty intention. 4) Prohibited act: The act should be prohibited or

forbidden under the existing law. 5) Punishment: The act in order to constitute a crime

should not only be prohibited by the law but should also punishable’ by the State

(Paranjape, 2002).

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2.1.6. DevianceThe word deviance connotes odd or unacceptable behavior, but in the sociological sense

of the word, deviance is simply any violation of society’s norms. Deviance can range

from something minor, such as a traffic violation, to something major, such as murder.

Each society defines what is deviant and what is not, and definitions of deviance differ

widely between societies. For example, some societies have much more stringent rules

regarding drinking wine(http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/deviance/section1.rhtml).

The study of Social Deviance is the study of the violation of cultural norms in either

formal (criminal) or informal (deviant) contexts. Social deviance is a phenomenon that

has existed in all societies where there have been norms. There are two possibilities for

how an individual will act in the face of social norms; conform or violate. There are

implicit social norms and explicit social norms. Explicit social norms are not necessarily

laws (such as a sign at a computer lab that says food and drink are prohibited) (Hagan,

1994). Deviance is a relative issue, and standards for deviance change based on a number

of factors, including the following:

Location: A person speaking loudly during a church service would probably be

considered deviant, whereas a person speaking loudly at a party would not. Society

generally regards taking the life of another person to be a deviant act, but during

wartime, killing another person is not considered deviant.

Age: A five-year-old can cry in a supermarket without being considered deviant, but an

older child or an adult cannot.

Social status: A famous actor can skip to the front of a long line of people waiting to get

into a popular club, but a nonfamous person would be considered deviant for trying to do

the same.

Individual societies: In the United States, customers in department stores do not try to

negotiate prices or barter for goods. In some other countries, people understand that one

should haggle over the price of an item; not to do so is considered deviant.

Deviant Traits: Sometimes people are considered deviant because of a trait or a

characteristic they possess. Sociologist Erving Goffman used the term stigma to identify

deviant characteristics. These include violations of the norms of physical ability or

appearance. For example, people who are confined to wheelchairs or who have IQs over

22

140 are deviant because they do not represent the usual behaviors or characteristics of

most people.

Social Control: Punishing people for deviant behavior reminds people what is expected

of them and what will happen if they do not conform to society’s norms. Every society

has methods of social control, or means of encouraging conformity to norms. These

methods of social control include positive sanctions and negative sanctions. A

positive sanction is a socially constructed expression of approval. A negative sanction is

a socially constructed expression of disapproval.

2.1.7. DelinquencyDelinquency is a kind of abnormality. When an individual deviates from the course of

normal social life, his behavior is called delinquency. This has almost become a

universal problem in most of the countries including Bangladesh. Thus the term has a

very extensive meaning and includes rebellious and hostile behavior of children and their

attitude of indifference towards society. Certain other acts such as begging, truancy,

vagrancy, obscenity, loitering, pilfering, drinking, gambling, etc. which vicious persons

very often commit are also included within the meaning of the term juvenile

delinquency. There is a growing awareness among the people of the world about the

problem of juvenile delinquency. Any society, undergoing changes in its structural and

functional aspects is faced with the problem of dislocation and disequilibrium in the

social, cultural, political and economic life of the community. When a juvenile, bellow

an age specified under a statue exhibits behavior which may prove to be dangerous to

society and or to himself he may be called a Juvenile Delinquent (Paranjape, 2002). Each

state has its own precise definition of the age range covered by the word “juvenile”.

According to Bangladesh Penal Code (BPC) (Section- 82), “Noting is an offence which

is done by a child under seven years of age”. According to Section- 83, “Nothing is an

offence, which is done by a child above 7 years of age, and under 14, who has not

attained sufficient maturity of understand to judge of the nature and consequences of his

conduct on that occasion”.

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2.1.8. Conceptual Framework of the StudyCommunication technology encompasses a broad range of mediums, from the internet to

radio to television to wireless signal providers. Communications technology is the

activity of designing and constructing and maintaining communication systems and

Communication is the exchanging or transferring of a message from a sender to a

receiver. In Bangladesh, cell phone/land phone, internet and television/radio based

communication technology or devices are mostly using and these are interconnected with

each other. Internet can be used in cell phone or modern television as well as these

technologies can use communication purposes separately. When these technologies use

as dysfunctional way or abused then crime and deviant activities occurred and these two

also are interlinked. The dysfunctional uses of these technologies can bring great

miseries as well as have many adverse impacts on our life like: Social, Cultural,

Economic, Health, Political, Environmental and Psychological.

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of the Study

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Cell phone/Land Phone

Crime

Dysfunctional Use/Abuse

Deviant Activities

Adverse Impacts Social Cultural Economic Health Political Environmental Psychological

Internet Television/Radio

24

2.2. Related TheoriesVan Dijk has defined the idea "network society" as a form of society increasingly

organizing its relationships in media networks gradually replacing or complementing the

social networks of face-to-face communication. The internet interpersonal,

organizational, and mass communication come together. People become linked to one

another and have access to information and communication with one another constantly.

Using the internet brings the “whole world” into homes and work places. Also, when

media like the internet becomes even more advanced it will gradually appear as “normal

media” in the first decade of the 21st century as it becomes used by larger sections of the

population and by vested interests in the economy, politics and culture. It asserts that

paper means of communication will become out of date, with newspapers and letters

becoming ancient forms for spreading information (Van Djik, 1991).

According to Castells, networks constitute the new social morphology of our societies

and networks have become the basic units of modern society. The network society goes

further than the information society that is often proclaimed. It is not purely the

technology that defines modern societies, but also cultural, economic and political

factors that make up the network society. Influences such as religion, cultural

upbringing, political organizations, and social status all shape the network society.

Societies are shaped by these factors in many ways. These influences can either raise or

hinder these societies (Castells, 2000). A new society emerges when and if a structural

transformation can be observed in the relationships of production, in the relationship of

power and in the relationship of experience. These transformations lead to an equally

substantial modification of social forms of space and time, and to the emergence of a

new culture (Castells, 2008).

According to Marcus Felson and Ronald V. Clarke, opportunities cause crime.

Opportunities are highly specific, concentrated in time and space and depend on

everyday movements. One crime may produce opportunities for another; some products

offer more tempting crime opportunities. Social and technological changes produce new

crime opportunities. Opportunities for crime can be reduced and reducing opportunities

does not usually displace crime, but can produce wider decline in crime. By reducing the

opportunities for the commission of crimes and "target hardening", and encouraging

25

more authority figures to assume responsibility, potential offenders will be deterred.

(Felson and Clarke: 1998).

According to Routine Activities Theory of Cohen and Felson, crime occurs whenever

three conditions come together: (1) suitable targets, (2) motivated offenders and (3)

absence of guardians. The phenomena that criminals and victims often have the same

socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., are in relatively the same age group) and that

criminals and victims often live in physical proximity of one another. Time, place, and

interpersonal actions are at the heart of direct-contact predatory crimes because those

crimes require the convergence of a suitable target, lack of capable guardians to commit

a crime, and a motivated offender in time and space (Siegel, 1998).

Through Rational Choice Theory, Cornish and Clarke (1986) describe crime as an event

that occurs when an offender decides to risk breaking the law after considering his or her

own need for money, personal values or learning experiences and how well a target is

protected, how affluent the neighborhood is or how efficient the local police are. Before

committing a crime, the reasoning criminal weighs the chances of getting caught, the

severity of the expected penalty, the value to be gained by committing the act, and his or

her immediate need for that value.

Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory has been one of the most influential theories of

our time. It breaks the human personality down into three critical parts: Id, Ego and

Superego. The Id is the most basic part and is present at birth. The Id functions with the

pleasure principle. This means it tends to be a little animalistic. It can be irrational and

illogical. The Ego works to maintain or control the Id. It operates on the reality principal

and tries to keep the Id straight. The Ego makes a person have rational and realistic

thoughts while interacting with others. The Superego is the conscience. It contains the

principles and ideals of society. The Superego operates on idealism. It's goal is to inhibit

the desires of the Id and convince the Ego to work towards more moral goals rather than

realistic ones. He proposed that criminal behavior is either the result of mental illness or

a weak conscience. These three major parts develop sequentially. The Id is at birth and

the Ego come later once a child understands reality and begins to act realistically with

his\her environment and others. The Super ego is developed last when the child learns

moral values (Bartollas, 1990).

26

In the Social learning theory Cornell Montgomery (1843-1904) found that crime is a

product of learning the norms. Values and behaviors associated with criminal activity.

Social learning can involve the actual technique of crime as well as the psychological

aspects of criminality. The view that human behavior is modeled through observation of

human social interactions, either directly from observing those who are close and from

intimate contact, or indirectly through the media. He proposed that social learning

occurred through four main stages of imitation: Close contact, Imitation of superiors,

Understanding of concepts, and Role model behavior.

In criminology, Differential Association is a theory developed by Edwin Sutherland

proposing that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes,

techniques, and motives for criminal behavior. It states that criminal behavior is learned

behavior and learned via social interaction with others. They learn how to commit

criminal acts; they learn motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes. It grows socially

easier for the individuals to commit a crime. Their inspiration is the processes of cultural

transmission and construction. Sutherland had developed the idea of the "self" as a social

construct, like when a person's self-image is continuously being reconstructed especially

when interacting with other people (Paranjape, 2002).

Neutralization Theory is identified with the writings of David Matza (1957) and his

associate Gresham Sykes (1961). Sykes and Matza view the process of becoming a

criminal as a learning experience. Matza argues that the most committed criminals and

delinquents are not involved in criminality all the time; they also attend schools, family

functions, and religious services. Their behavior can be conceived as falling along a

continuum between total freedom and total restraint. This process, which he called

“Drift” refers to the movement from one extreme of behavior to another, resulting in

behavior that is sometime unconventional, free, or deviant and at other time unnatural

and serious. Learning techniques of neutralization allows a person to temporarily “drift

away” from conventional behavior and get involved in more subterranean values and

behaviors (Hagan, 1984).

Travis Hirschi (1969) told in his social control theory that delinquent acts result when an

individual’s bond to the society is week or broken”. There are four principals that make

up this bond (1) Attachment: The first bond, attachment, takes three forms: attachment to

27

parent, to school (teachers), and to peers. The bond of affection between a parent and a

child thus becomes a primary deterrent to criminal activity. It’s strengths depends on the

depth and quality of parent- Childs interaction. (2) Commitment: Commitment describes

efforts one must go through, and the time and energy that it takes to fulfill future needs

and desires. A lack of commitment to conventional society creates a situation in which

criminality and criminal behavior may take place. (3) Involvement: Involvement refers to

one’s engrossment in conventional activities, such as studying, spending time with the

family & participation with the extra-curricular activities. (4) Belief: It is defined as the

endorsement of the general conventional values & norms, especially the belief that law

& society’s rules in general are morally correct & should be obeyed (Adler, Mueller, and

Laufer, 2004).

Van Dijk and Castells’s theory of network society defined, people become linked to one


Using the internet brings the whole world into homes and work places. Networks

constitute the new social morphology of our societies and networks have become the

basic units of modern society. This theory of Network Society is very much related to

my study as it intend to find out the impact of modern communication technologies on

social dysfunctions. In the dysfunctional society, communication technology users are

often involved with crime and deviance with their modern communication technologies

and leaned behavioral traits. Some of them did these for personal gain, absence of

capable guardians & laws and weak conscience. Proper cultural practice does not work in

the dysfunctional society and that’s why their learned bad behaviors instigate to commit

crime and deviance. Through interaction with others, individuals learn the values,

attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior. It states that criminal behavior

is learned behavior and learned via social interaction with others. From these point of

view Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory, Cornell Montgomery’s Social learning

theory and Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association theories are also very much

related to the study.

28

2.3. Review of Related Laws in Bangladesh.The following laws are currently active in Bangladesh for controlling communication

technology based crime and deviance:

1. The Information and Communication Technology Act 2006

2. The Pornography Control Act 2012

3. The Indecent Advertisement Prohibition Act 1963

4. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act 2001

2.3.1. Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006.

The Information & Communication Technology Act, 2006 undertaken by the Parliament

received approval from the President on 23 Ashwin, 1413 corresponding to 8 October

2006. The act prepared to provide legal recognition and security of Information and

Communication Technology and rules of relevant subjects.

Present Information and communication technology law’s has a provision to punish

anybody if he/she do false publicity, defamation, spread self made wrong information

etc. about national leaders and renowned persons as well as any publicity against the

state in the social networking websites or blogs (The Daily Prothom Alo: November, 04,

2013).

According to article 4(1) of this Act, if any person commits any crime that would have

been punishable under this law if committed in Bangladesh, this act should be applied as

if that crime has been committed in Bangladesh

Section 54 to 67 of the ICT Act 2006 describe the cyber crimes both civil and criminal

matters. The followings shall be treated as crime and punishable offence;

• Unauthorized copying, extracting and downloading of any data, database

• Introduction of virus

• Damage and disruption to computer system and computer network

• Denial of access to authorized person to computer

• Providing assistance to make possible to commit to crime

• Hacking with computer system

• Tampering computer source documents

29

• Electronic forger for the purpose of cheating and harming reputation

• Using a forged Electronic record

• Publication of digital signature certificate for the fraudulent purpose

• Confiscation of computer, network etc.

• Publication of information which is obscene in electronic form

• Misrepresentation and suppressing material facts for obtaining digital signature

certificate

• Breach of confidentiality and privacy

• Publishing false digital signature certificate

Section-54: Penalty for damage to computer, computer system, etc. If any person,

without permission of the owner or any person who is in charge of a computer, computer

system or computer network,

(a) accesses or secure access to such computer, computer system or computer networks

for the purpose of destroying information or retrieving or collecting information or

assists other to do so;

(b) downloads, copies or extracts any data, computer database or information from such

computer, computer system or computer network including information or data held or

stored in any removable storage medium;

(c) introduces or causes to be introduced any computer contaminant or computer virus

into any computer, computer system or computer network;

(d) damages or causes to be damaged willingly in any computer, computer system or

computer network, data, computer database or any other programmes residing in such

computer, computer system or computer network;

(e) disrupts or causes disruption of any computer, computer system or computer network;

(f) denies of causes the denial of access to any person authorized to access any computer,

computer system or computer network by any means;

(g) provides any assistance to any person to facilitate access to a computer, computer

system or computer network, in contravention of the provisions of this Act, rules or

regulations made there under;

(h) for the purpose of advertisement of goods and services, generates or causes

generation of spams or sends unwanted electronic mails without any permission of the

originator or subscriber;

30

(i) charges the services availed of by a person to the account of another person by

tampering with or manipulating any computer, computer system or computer network;

then the above said activities shall be treated as offences of the said person.

(2) If any person commits offence under sub-section (1) of this section, he shall be

punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, or with fine

which may extend to Taka ten lakhs, or with both

Section-57: Punishment for publishing fake, obscene or defaming information in

electronic form.

(1) If any person deliberately publishes or transmits or causes to be published or

transmitted in the website or in electronic form any material which is fake and obscene

or its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having

regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or

embodied in it, or causes to deteriorate or creates possibility to deteriorate law and order,

prejudice the image of the State or person or causes to hurt or may hurt religious belief

or instigate against any person or organization, then this activity of his will be regarded

as an offence.

(2) Whoever commits offence under sub-section (1) of this section he shall be punishable

with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and with fine which may

extend to Taka one crore.

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Government of the

People's Republic of Bangladesh is charged with the administration of this Act. There

have been two amendments to the Information and Communication Technology Act,

2006 namely ICT ACT 2008 (amendment) and ICT ACT 2009 (amendment).

Therefore present situation is that the Government (Ministry of Home Affairs) is entitled

to tap any telephone line of any person if it so desires without any prior warrant or order

of any court and collect information, which can be used as evidence. Telephone tapping

and collecting information from the conversation of two individuals is an infringement of

fundamental rights. This is a violation of the right to privacy and Article 43 of the

Constitution which states that “Every citizen shall have the right, subject to reasonable

restrictions imposed by law in the interests of the security of the State, public order,

31

public morality or public health- (a) to be secured in his home against entry, search and

seizure and (b) to the privacy of his correspondence and other means of communication.

Privacy primarily relates to government actions not private actions. Human rights

guarantees do not impose broad obligations on governments to protect individuals

against possible invasions of their privacy by other individuals. However Constitutional

and international guarantees require that restrictions on freedom of expression, even in

the interests of privacy, must meet a very high standard of legality and necessity.

Governments in many countries are given powers to breach privacy. This is often done

during criminal investigations, where police are permitted to seize private property from

a suspect's house. Telephone tapping, where all information being transmitted over a

phone line is secretly monitored, is often permissible for Law Enforcement Agencies

although it requires permission from a court or proper authority subject to some

restrictions (Amin, 2006).

2.3.2. Pornography Control Act, 2012

The Parliament has enacted the Pornography Control Act, 2012. The law was approved

by the President of Bangladesh on 08 March 2012 having been accepted by the

Parliament.

The preamble of the Act very correctly identifies the reason behind enacting this piece of

legislation. The preamble says this Act has been enacted to prevent detoriation of moral

and ethical values of the society. Information technology with its immense benefits has

got some disadvantages as well if it is used by mischief people with criminal intention. It

has been seen in our country that video clips, MMS etc of sexual intercourse or behavior

relating to sexual activities have been recorded on camera by a section of people and

then used to blackmail, cheat, defame girls and women.

Social media sites such as Facebook are immensely popular and it is very easy to spread

a video clip around the globe. This Act makes any such recording of video, still picture

and publication of them in print, electronic or whatsoever form a Criminal offence. Some

section of the society cultures a thought that if the video was recorded or the still picture

was taken with the consent of the persons being filmed it will not be a crime; but actually

and very justly it is a crime under section 8 of the Pornography Control Act 2012 and

32

any person convicted under the above mentioned section can be sentenced up to 7

(seven) years of imprisonment.

The Act has a separate section for child pornography and for this act any person below

the age of 18 is a child and any pornography recording, pictures with a child being

filmed will carry a sentence of 10 years imprisonment and five lac taka fine. Few other

feature of the Act is that it empowers the Court to take expert opinion/help from IT

experts and empowers the Investigation Officer to siege or search any device, book, CD

etc as evidence.

Section 11 of the Act states that Government may constitute Tribunal which is yet to be

established for trial of offences under the Act and No Rules have been made by the

Government as of now. Any false and frivolous allegation under this Act carries a

sentence of 2 years imprisonment and up to 1 lac taka fine.

Overall this Act is definitely a timely initiative by the Government to curb increasing

number of videos of sexual activities being recorded and released in the internet and now

we await few convictions of the accused criminals to establish example in the society so

that the criminal minds which are hatching conspiracy to get new pornography videos

recorded are scared and terrified

2.3.3. The Indecent Advertisement Prohibition Act 1963

The Indecent Advertisement Prohibition Act 1963 is enacted for prohibiting indecent

advertisements (http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/print_sections_all.php?id=333).

According the section 2(a) “advertisement” includes any notice, circular or other

document, displayed on any house, building or wall, or published in any newspaper or

periodical, and any announcement made orally or by any means of producing or

transmitting light or sound, but does not include trade circulars issued by manufacturers

of drugs to medical practitioners;

2(b) “indecent” includes whatsoever may amount to any incentive to sensuality and

excitement of impure thoughts in the mind of an ordinary man of normal temperament,

and has the tendency to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such

immoral influence, and which is deemed to be detrimental to public morals and

33

calculated to produce pernicious effect, in depraving and debauching the minds of

persons;

In case of Prohibition against persons advertising, displaying, etc, indecent

advertisements, this act stated in the section 3(i) no person shall take any part in the

publication of any advertisement which is indecent; and 3(ii) no person having the

ownership, possession or control of any property or public place shall knowingly allow

any advertisement which is indecent to be displayed on such property or place, or to be

announced there from.

In case of penalty provision this act stated in the section 4: whoever contravenes any of

the provisions of this Act shall, on conviction, be punishable-

(a) in the case of a first conviction, with imprisonment which may extend to six months,

or with fine, or with both; and (b) in the case of any subsequent conviction, with

imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

34

3.1. Network SocietyThe term network society describes several different phenomena related to the social,

political, economic and cultural changes caused by the spread of networked, digital

information and communications technologies. A number of academics are credited with

coining the term since the 1980s and several competing definitions exist.

Van Dijk has defined the idea "network society" as a form of society increasingly

organizing its relationships in media networks gradually replacing or complementing the

social networks of face-to-face communication. Personal communication is replaced by

digital technology. This means that social and media networks are shaping the prime

mode of organization and most important structures of modern society. He compares this

type of society to a mass society that is shaped by groups, organizations and

communities ('masses') organized in physical co-presence (Van Djik, 1991). Van Dijk's

The Network Society describes what the network society is and what it might be like in

the future. The first conclusion of this book is that modern society is in a process of

becoming a network society. This means that on the internet interpersonal,

organizational, and mass communication come together. People become linked to one


Using the internet brings the “whole world” into homes and work places. Also, when

media like the internet becomes even more advanced it will gradually appear as “normal

media” in the first decade of the 21st century as it becomes used by larger sections of the

population and by vested interests in the economy, politics and culture. It asserts that

paper means of communication will become out of date, with newspapers and letters

becoming ancient forms for spreading information (Van Djik, 1991).

According to Castells, networks constitute the new social morphology of our societies.

It's not just about networks or social networks, because social networks have been very

old forms of social organization. It's about social networks which process and manages

information and is using micro-electronic based technologies." The diffusion of a

networking logic substantially modifies the operation and outcomes in processes of

3 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUE

35

production, experience, power, and culture. For Castells, networks have become the

basic units of modern society. The network society goes further than the information

society that is often proclaimed. He argues that it is not purely the technology that

defines modern societies, but also cultural, economic and political factors that make up

the network society. Influences such as religion, cultural upbringing, political

organizations, and social status all shape the network society. Societies are shaped by

these factors in many ways. These influences can either raise or hinder these societies

(Castells, 2000).

The space of flows plays a central role in Castells' vision of the network society. A new

society emerges when and if a structural transformation can be observed in the

relationships of production, in the relationship of power and in the relationship of

experience. These transformations lead to an equally substantial modification of social

forms of space and time, and to the emergence of a new culture (Castells, 2008). The

society we live in is not a society in social division. It is a society based on an

informational development model, in which some cognitive skills are more valued than

others, namely: the highest education level, formal literacy and technological literacy’s

(Cardoso, 2005).

The power of the networks that constitute the network society over human communities

or individuals who are not integrated in these networks. In this case, power operates by

exclusion/inclusion. Power is the structural capacity to impose one´s will over another´s

will. There can be bargaining, but in the last resort, there is power when regardless of the

will of someone (a person, a social group, a category of people, an organization, a

country, and the like) it must submit to the will of the power holders – or else, be

exposed to violence, under different forms.

The network society is a global society. However, this does not mean that people

everywhere are included in these networks. In fact, for the time being, most are not. But

everybody is affected by the processes that take place in the global networks of this

dominant social structure. This is because, the core activities that shape and control

human life in every corner of the planet, are organized in these global networks: financial

markets; transnational production, management, and distribution of goods and services;

highly skilled labor; science and technology; communication media, culture, art, sports;

36

international institutions managing the global economy and inter-governmental relations;

religion; the criminal economy; and the transnational NGOs that assert the rights and

values of a new, global civil society (Held et alter, 1999; Castells, 1998/2000b; Volkmer,

1999; Stiglitz, 2002).

3.2. Communication Technology, Media and Network SocietyThe technological context of the network society is established not just by

microprocessors and the Internet, but by an emerging wave of diverse new technologies

that find their uses relative to one another. The 2005 Lemelson-MIT list of the top

twenty-five technological innovations those proved to be important not just because they

provided new capabilities, but because these capabilities met real human needs in a

technological context established by earlier innovations and in an evolving social

context. The list runs: Internet, cell phone, personal computers, fiber optics, Email,

commercialized GPS, portable computers, memory storage discs, consumer level digital

cameras, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, MEMS, DNA fingerprinting, Air

bags, ATM, advanced batteries, hybrid car, OLEDs, display panels, HD TV, space

shuttle, nanotechnology, flash memory, voice mail, modern hearing aids and short range,

high frequency radio (Mitchell, 2005).

A central feature of the network society is the transformation of the realm of

communication, including the media. Communication constitutes the public space, i.e.

the cognitive space where people’s minds receive information and form their views by

processing signals from society at large. In this regard, the new communication system is

defined by three major trends: (1) Communication is largely organized around media

business conglomerates that are global and local at the same time, and that include

television, radio, the print press, audiovisual production, book publishing, music

recording and distribution, and on line commercial firms. These conglomerates are

linked to media organizations around the world, under different forms of partnership,

while engaging at the same time in fierce competition amongst themselves. (2)

Communication is both global and local, generic and customized, depending on markets

and products. (3) The communication system is increasingly digitized, and gradually

interactive. So, concentration of business does not mean a unified, unidirectional process

of communication.

37

Societies have moved from a mass media system to a customized and fragmented

multimedia system, where audiences are increasingly segmented. Because the system is

diversified and flexible, it is increasingly inclusive of every message sent in society. As

the network society diffuses, and new communication technologies expand their

networks, there is an explosion of horizontal networks of communication, quite

independent from media business and governments, that allows the emergence of mass

communication. It is mass communication because it is diffused throughout the Internet,

so it potentially reaches the whole planet. It is self-directed because it is often initiated

by individuals or groups by themselves, bypassing the media system. The explosion of

blogs, blogs, podding, streaming, and other forms of interactive, computer to computer

communication sets up a new system of global, horizontal communication networks that,

for the first time in history, allow people to communicate with each other without going

through the channels set up by the institutions of society for socialized communication.

Mainstream media, and particularly television, still dominate the media space, although

this is changing fast. Because the language of television is based on images, and the

simplest political image is a person, political competition is built around political leaders.

Few people know the actual programs of political parties. And programs are built by

pollsters focusing on what people would like, so they tend to be very similar at least in

their wording. People think in metaphors, and built these metaphors with images. Trust

and character are constructed around the image of a person. Because of this, character

assassination becomes the political weapon of choice. Negative messages are much more

effective than positive messages. And the most negative message is to undermine the

trust of people in their potential leader by diffusing, fabricating, or manipulating

damaging information. Media politics and image politics lead to scandal politics, the

kind of politics at the forefront of the political processes almost everywhere in the world.

New media is the concept that new methods of communicating in the digital world allow

smaller groups of people to congregate online and share, sell and swap goods and

information. It also allows more people to have a voice in their community and in the

world in general. The most important structural characteristic of new media is the

integration of telecommunications technologies. The second structural new media

characteristic of the current communications revolution is the rise of interactive media.

38

Interactivity is a sequence of action and reaction. The downloaded link or the supply side

of web sites, interactive television and computer programs is much wider that the uplink

or retrieval made by their users. The third, technical, characteristic of new media is

digital code. The new media are defined by all three characteristics simultaneously: they

are media which are both integrated and interactive and also use digital code at the turn

of the 20th and 21st centuries (Castells & Cardoso, 2005).

The network society is manifested in the transformation of sociability. From studies in

different societies, that are most instances Internet users are more social have more

friends and contacts and re more socially politically active than non users. Moreover, the

more they use the Internet, the more they also engage in face to-face interaction in all

domains of their lives. Similarly, new forms of wireless communication, from mobile

phone voice communication to SMSs, WiFi and WiMax, substantially increase

sociability, particularly for the younger groups of the population. The network society is

a hyper social society, not a society of isolation. People, by and large, do not face their

identity in the Internet, except for some teenagers experimenting with their lives. People

fold the technology into their lives, link up virtual reality and real virtuality; they live in

various technological forms of communication, articulating them as they need it. Society

shapes technology according to the needs, values an interests of people who use the

technology. Furthermore, information and communication technologies are particularly

sensitive to the effects of social uses on technology itself. The history of the internet

provides ample evidence that the users, particularly the first thousands of users, were, to

a large extent, the producers of the technology. However, technology is a necessary,

albeit not sufficient condition for the emergence of a new form of social organization

based on networking, which is on the diffusion of networking in all realms of activity on

the basis of digital communication networks (Castells, 2006).

Media in the network society present a large variety of channels of communication, with

increasing interactivity. And they do not constitute a global village of a unified,

Hollywood-centered culture. They are inclusive of a wide range of cultures and social

groups, and send targeted messages to selected audiences or to specific moods of an

audience. The media system is characterized by global business concentration, by

diversification of the audience (including cultural diversification), by its technological

versatility and channel multiplicity, and by the growing autonomy of an audience that is

39

equipped with the Internet, and has learned the rules of the game – namely, everything

that is a collective mental experience is virtual, but this virtuality is a fundamental

dimension of everybody´s reality. The enclosure of communication in the space of

flexible, interactive, electronic hypertext has a decisive effect on politics. Media have

become the public space (Volkmer, 2003).

The concepts about network society described by Jan van Dijk, Barry Wellman, Hiltz

and Turoff, and Manuel Castells are embodied in much digital technology. Social

networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, instant messaging and email are prime

examples of the Network Society at work. These web services allow people all over the

world to communicate through digital means without face-to-face contact. This

demonstrates how the ideas of society changing will affect the persons we communicate

over time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_society).

The Internet provides an opportunity to the public and healthcare professionals to access

medical and health information, improve the efficiency and effective, timely healthcare.

The rise of mobile systems and the widespread adoption of the cell phone mean that

mobile applications are an exciting and rapidly expanding domain for such applications.

Many new offerings are being developed through digital appliances, computer terminals

and mobile devices (Katz, James & Acord, 2005).

It is likely that “blogs,” or web logs (which are essentially on-line diaries with an

interactive component that encourages others to leave comments), will be playing a

growing and complementary role in these processes (Katz, James & Acord, 2005). It is

worth including in our analysis a brief mention of the way mobile technology is being

used to control malaria and AIDS. In the case of AIDS, free text messaging services are

available in Kenya, where users can send text questions and receive free answers. As

well, the free service sends out daily tips on how to prevent infection and deal with the

disease’s consequences. This service is provided by NGO One World (BBC, 2004).

40

3.3. Informationalism and Network SocietyA network society is a society whose social structure is made of networks powered by

microelectronics-based information and communication technologies. A network is a set

of interconnected nodes. A node is the point where the curve intersects itself.

Communication networks are the patterns of contact that are created by flows of

messages among communicators through time and space (Monge and Contractor, 2003).

So, networks process flows. Flows are streams of information between nodes circulating

through the channels of connection between nodes. A network is defined by the program

that assigns the network its goals and its rules of performance.

Networks became the most efficient organizational forms as a result of three major

features of networks that benefitted from the new technological environment: flexibility,

scalability, and survivability. Flexibility: they can reconfigurate according to changing

environments, keeping their goals while changing their components. They go around

blocking points of communication channels to find new connections. Scalability: they

can expand or shrink in size with little disruption. Survivability: because they have no

center, and can operate in a wide range of configurations, they can resist attacks to their

nodes and codes, because the codes of the network are contained in multiple nodes, that

can reproduce the instructions and find new ways to perform (Castells, 2004).

The network society works on the basis of a binary logic of inclusion/exclusion, whose

boundaries change over time, both with the changes in the networks´ programs and with

the conditions of performance of these programs. It also depends on the ability of social

actors, in various contexts, to act on these programs, modifying them in the sense of their

interests. The global network society is a dynamic structure, it is highly malleable to

social forces, to culture, to politics, to economic strategies (Castells, 2004).

In the communication realm, the network society is characterized by a pattern of

networking, flexibility, recombination of codes, and ephemeral symbolic

communication. This is a culture primarily organized around and integrated by a

diversified system of electronic media, including the Internet. Cultural expressions of all

kinds are enclosed and shaped by this inter-linked, electronic hypertext, formed by

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television(s), radio, print press, films, video, art, Internet communication, in the so-called

multimedia system (Croteau & Haynes, 2000).

Technology, understood as material culture, is a fundamental dimension of social

structure and social change (Fischer, 1992). A technological paradigm organizes a series

of technological discoveries around a nucleus, and a system of relationships that enhance

the performance of each specific technology. It is frequently said that society is now

living in an information age, which has provided various information technologies (i.e.

the Internet and cellular phones). However the "information age" has not been clearly

defined. Although many define the current economy as an information economy, there is

still no universally accepted definition to refer to the current society. Currently, over

thirty different labels for referring to contemporary society are used in academic fields

and casual conversation (Alvarez & Kilbourn, 2002). Some of these labels include:

information society, global village, digital society, wired society, post-industrial society,

and network society. Some of the terms describe the same phenomena, while others do

not.

Informationalism is a technological paradigm based on the augmentation of the human

capacity of information processing and communication made possible by the revolutions

in microelectronics, software, and genetic engineering. Computers and digital

communications are the most direct expressions of this revolution. Under the

informational paradigm, the capacity of any communicating subject to act on the

communication network enables people and organizations with the possibility to

reconfigurate the network, according to their needs, desires, and projects.

An analysis of the different information society models can have as its starting point the

individualization of four dimensions (technology, economy, social well-being and

values), through which one can better understand what each society’s position is in

relation to the global information society panorama. On this basis one can consider that a

society is an informational society if it possesses a solid information technology:

infrastructure, production and knowledge (Castells & Himanen, 2001).

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3.4. Communication Technology and IdentityThe world of communications has changed radically due to the development of digital

technologies. The multiplicity of Television channels and Internet and the access to

information in all its formats from around the world has had a strong impact on

traditional media and, at the same time, as Thompson (1995) points out, digital

technologies have transformed the spatial and temporal organization of social life,

creating new forms of action and interaction, new kinds of social relationship and new

ways of relating to others and to oneself. The new forms of social interaction allowed by

Internet oblige us to reconsider the meaning of concepts as community or identity. The

big impact of Internet on the expression and perception of social identities is relatively

clear: it spans cultural spheres and geographical boundaries and allows communication

from many to many. One of the most important factors for the development of collective

identity is and has been communication. There are two types of identity building which

are relevant here (Tubella, 2005): 1) Individual identity understood as the sense of

oneself as an individual endowed with certain characteristics and potentialities, and 2)

Collective identity, understood as a sense of oneself as a member of a social group. It is a

sense of belonging, a sense of being part of a collectivity.

Giddens (1991) tries to understand the persistence of national identities and propose to

be considered by analyzing how citizenship is created and recreated in local situations in

the context of the everyday uses and production of culture. During many years,

Television has taken the place of vernacular literatures in the construction of a common

imaginary and complicity.

Its very much concern is that while traditional media, in special television, play an

enormous role in the construction of collective identity, Internet influences the

construction of individual identity, as individuals increasingly rely on their own

resources to construct a coherent identity for themselves in an open process of self

formation as a symbolic project through the utilization of symbolic materials available to

them. The difference resides in the fact that the use of television in the construction

identity is vertical, from one to many and opposite, the use of Internet in this process of

self formation depends of the will of each individual. It is a horizontal use, from many to

many (Tubella, 2005).

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Network society is not just the result of the impact of information technologies on social

structures, but a new social form using communication as one of the central factors

defining it, and becoming the emblematic figure of our current society. The

communication practice most affected by Internet use in 2002 and certainly now is

television. A 16.6% of people watched less television since they were connected to the

Internet. Of this 16.6%, 61.7% were under 30 years old (Tubella, 2005). Therefore,

television is still the reference communication medium, yet in contrast, people trust radio

more. From the point of view of consumer confidence, radio occupies the first place as

29.6% trust it more, compared to 25.8% who have more confidence in the printed press

and 20.8% who trust television. If we analyze consumer confidence levels in the Internet,

we see that those who trust it a lot are mainly users (89.3%), although 67% of those who

say they trust it very little are also users (Tubella, 2005).

3.5. Communication Technology, Crime and Deviance

3.5.1. The nature of interrelationship between Cell phone/land phone, Crime and

Deviance

The cell phone, as we more commonly call 'the mobile' is not only a friendly, handy

gadget for the gangs but now a part and parcel and almost a prosthetic for any urban

dweller. Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, whether a prince or a

pauper, the majority of the Dhaka citizens own a cell phone. It became a everywhere

gadget offering more flexibility, mobility to living in the stagnant, ever-jammed city. The

user groups include not only the juvenile group of teens and early twenties but also

professionals, businessmen, and housewives. Not only family and personal affairs, but

also businesses like banking, small trades are run and dealt over mobiles. Conversely,

expansive, uncontrolled distribution and easy access of mobiles have also augmented

crime rates (Samayeen, 2009).

A study on usages and abuses of mobile internet in Bangladesh found, the income level

of the mobile users is more than 10 thousand taka ($ 142) per months. Educated and

advanced people cannot imagine a day without the connection of internet. Young people

(18-25 years old) are highly involved in using MI facilities. Similarly non-using Internet

in any means is higher in this category. Over 40 years old people are less interested

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toward these facilities. Teenage or youngsters are taking connections through this

convenient medium. The people who are using MI facilities they (54.55 percent) have

given strong arguments in favor of these services but most of the Internet users are

concern about its cost and about half portion of the users (48.15 percent) has mentioned

it as very high. Major portion of the MI users is young. So, there is a chance of being

misused of this advanced technology. They have less business dealings or official

purposes but they are using Internet heavily. Surfing facebook or such social networking

sites, meaningless chitchat with their friends, sending odd website links to the known

subscribers, enjoying ‘porn’ websites etc. are the main tasks of them. Many of them also

use credit cards so it is found that they are spending much money and time whole night.

This is treated as a threat for young generation. More than 50 percent respondents have

agreed that it is being misused. Among the total MI users about 44 percent think that the

main motivation behind mobile internet abuse is having this service is necessity. For the

professional purpose using this service is inevitable and in some cases, it is found that

they are being smart through using this technology. Friends and others give value of their

advancement (Hamid & Akter, 2009).

A research study in the USA found various bad habits resulted from cell phone use like-

talking over cell phone in the toilet (3 persons out of 4), immediate searching cell phone

after morning rise, using and playing cell phone before go to sleep, spend extra money

for using cell phone application, purchasing fashionable dresses from online shopping

through using smart phone, capturing pictures meaninglessly, playing games and passing

more time to see online videos, all time using headphone, searching mobile charger here

and there, using cell phone and showing busyness during eating, playing games or

running mobile apps in the period of waiting time, don’t interested talking side men

rather than wasting time in the cell phone (The Daily Prothom Alo: October 22, 2013).

According to research by C&R Research, 22 percent of young children own a cell phone

(ages 6-9), 60 percent of tweens (ages 10-14), and 84 percent of teens (ages 15-18. And

cell phone companies are now marketing to younger children with colorful kid-friendly

phones and easy-to-use features (http://www.cmch.tv/mentors/hottopic.asp?id=70).

Bangladesh is still a third world country after all. But, despite all this, many users are

able to check their mail, see what's going on, and post to this blog. Bangladesh is one of

45

the few countries in the world that can guarantee each one of its residents can get a cell

phone signal no matter where they are in the country. The television commercials play a

vital role in this cultural morphology bringing changes is behavioral patterns. Unlike

earlier times, when an amateur lover would throw an articulately written poem in a

minutely folded paper to his next door sweetheart over moss-ridden roof tops or through

grilled balconies, it is suddenly much easier for the young boys and girls to communicate

via cell phones. Crank calls increase as unknown male voices introduce themselves as

“brother” pestering random girls, addressing them as “sister” and offer their friendship. It

is not only the upper-class, fashion crazy Dhakaites (citizens of Dhaka) carrying the

latest model of mobiles has created this new society. The impact of cell phones on slum

dwellers, a parallel world to the Dhaka was seen. Korail, the biggest shantytown over

100 acres land, juxtaposed with the affluent neighborhood of Banani in Dhaka, has more

than 120 thousand families, none of them have definite address and nearly all dispute

over their occupied land. Yet, most of these families own at least one or more mobiles.

Even the slum kids own cell phones. Deprived of any formal education these kids

become vendors, household workers or delivery boys in neighboring areas. An emerging

new business, cell phone booths to reload the prepaid phone cards and renting phones are

also mostly served by slum dwellers. The transient shanty-towns or slums within Dhaka

are filled with crimes like, drug abuse, smuggling, drug trafficking, prostitution and

myriad of other anti-social activities (Samayeen, 2009).

In 2005, a police officer in charge of Ramna thana, admitted an open secret that local

small grocery stores are paid terrorist agents and the slums are taken to be the centre of

these criminal acts. The crimes are maneuvered not only by calls and codified language

but also by SMSs and missed calls. 1, 2 or 3 the number of missed- calls also acts as the

cryptogram and perhaps give direction of action. As he disclosed a recent incident of

Pichi Hannan, a pseudonym of the godfather in Ramna area, the heart of Dhaka was

caught with evidence and related clues from a cell phone left in the crime scene. A sub-

inspector was shot dead at the scene of the crime and the salavaged cell phone appeared

to be a valuable source to trace back the action for the team. There were several missed

calls, which gave clues to unravel and track many of the associated people of the gang.

They caught not only the group leader but also the accomplice correspondent from the

police force. As one of the insidious sides, the mammoth billboards and all-pervading

banners, for example, are changing the streetscape, turning Dhaka into a collage of cell

46

phone ads. Other many complains that cell companies didn't even leave the tranquil

beach of Cox's Bazaar, which is now filled with huge billboards of cell phones, hiding

the scenic backdrop and sky within our visual limits. Instinctively, the symbolic content

of post-modernism and globalization adorns most of its major roads like Airport road,

VIP roads and more of Dhaka. The small and big structures get hidden behind the

conspicuous mobile ads and create a new architectural elegance (Samayeen, 2009).

Day by day the rate of forgery increasing rapidly over cell phone and its variation is

being changed with the time in Bangladesh. At a result, many cell phone users are being

victimized financially, mentally and some cased physically. A well trained gang working

for this and noted forgery techniques of them are forgery in the name of mobile

recharge/flexi load, winning a lottery from the mobile operator, transfer money/talk time

from the cell phone users account through computer generated missed call (coded: +243

or +8802400 or +0904) (The Daily Prothom Alo: November 12, 2013).

A government research of Japan recently found that students who talked more time over

cell phone got low score in the exam than who talked less. Students of junior high school

passed more than one hour of half day for using cell phone, web browsing, e-mail

sending, computer games etc. There is a tendency to use smart phone at the age of 11

years old. Almost 54 percent last year students of elementary school have mobile phone

and growing a non-studying tendency among them. The research team request parents to

monitor their children’s cell phone use (The Daily Kaler Kantho: August 26, 2014).

In this digital age, it is no wonder that some misguided persons would adopt digital

techniques to cheat or steal. During a recent admission test at the Dinajpur's Hajee

Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, a student was using what

looked like a calculator. It was later found to contain a camera and a SIM card so that it

could be used as a smartphone. The student was taking pictures of the question paper and

sending images to his accomplices outside. The answers were appearing on the screen

soon afterwards (Matin, 2014).

On October 29, 2010, RAB arrested a gang of eight students who sent answers to

multiple-choice questions via SMS to freshmen aspirants inside Dhaka University

admission test halls. A team of RAB-3 and officials of DU administration tracked the

47

gang for a week after an admission seeker. RAB caught kingpin Aminul Islam inside a

Kha unit admission test hall when he was sending out answers to admission seekers via

text messages. Aminul prepared well for the exam and entered the hall with a fake

identity and a hidden mobile phone. He got set number three of the question paper. He

then texted "3" to five of his gang members, who forwarded the text to their client

students. The client freshmen aspirants had also smuggled in mobile phones inside the

test halls. And all the correct answers were sent to them via SMS from the five gang

members. RAB-3 source mentioned, the gang had been helping examinees cheat in

various competitive exams for the last couple of years. And Aminul got Tk 40,000 to Tk

50,000 for sitting for an exam while the other members of the gang received handsome

amounts from admission seekers (The Daily Star: October 30, 2010).

The Rapid Action Battalion recently arrested one person along with 635 illegal

Subscriber’s Identity Module (SIM) cards at Gulisthan Mobile Plaza in Dhaka city. RAB

officials alleged that some employees of cell phone operators were selling SIM cards to

the subscribers without registration to evade taxes. The SIM cards having no registration

are generally used for extortion and other criminal activities, they claimed (The New

Age: March 8, 2010).

The picture of cell phone abuse in the hill tracks area is very much unsatisfactory. In this

area many young girl’s secret picture and video captured with or without their consent

and later the abusers use those secret contents in the illegal purposes. Bad people firstly

made love with them and then make physical relation to some heinous purposes. Later,

those contents are transferred to one cell phone to another cell phone through Bluetooth

or infrared. Many of them uploaded those contents in the internet with the help some

godfather. By this time, many victims migrated to another place and still their parents are

facing much unexpected situation. Rangamati Police Super mentioned, a secret business

of cell phone and hidden cam is running in the whole country and hill tracts area is not

separate one (The Daily Ittefaq: April 29, 2010).

Extortion and threat to high profile people using cell phones is going unabated as law

enforcers could hardly trace the criminals who manage their SIM cards without

following proper registration procedure. The callers and the sellers of the RUIM

(removable user identity module) card are still remaining out of the dragnet due to fake

48

registration. Various gangs are also demanding hefty amounts from government high-

ups, businessmen and wealthy people using such SIM or RUIM cards. If anyone does not

want to meet their demands, the criminals threaten to kill them or abduct their children.

Moreover, SIMs which are sold without any registration or by providing fake

information are also being used for issuing threats for personal vengeance or teasing

girls. In many cases criminals use photographs of other people to get the registration.

RAB alone receives 70 such complaints on an average every day and police also receive

a good number of such complaints. RAB and Police said that they were failed to trace

offenders in ninety percent cases due to user’s fake registration (Islam, 2010).

Recently, RAB-03 arrested Marzia Zannati, an employee of Islamic Insurance called

Governor of Bangladesh Bank on 30 November, 2014 in the name Skeikh Rehana, sister

of Bangladesh Prime Minister for helping two insurance employee and she tried to earn

at least 2 crore taka in this way (The Daily Prothom Alo: December 06, 2014).

Two Dhaka University professors were threatened over phone for extortion using the

name of Subrata Bain, one of the most feared criminals in Dhaka city in recent years,

heading the most-wanted list of Bangladesh Police and who has reportedly been

absconding since late 2004 (The New Age Extra: July 11-17, 2008).

According to law enforcement officials and other individual sources mentioned in the

same report, extortion threats through phone calls using Subrata Bain’s name has seen a

spectacular rise over the last one month with middle class head of families being the

prime target. The callers invariably claim to be Bain himself or one of the members of

Bain’s gang. On June 27, 2008 a man named Moazzem Hossain Khowaj was arrested

from Rayerbazar with five mobile phone SIM cards in his possession by the Detective

Branch (DB) of police for making extortion calls and earning many lakhs by simply

using the name ‘Subrata Bain’. A few years back, a similar panic had gripped Dhaka

when random callers would demand extortion in houses around Dhaka using ‘Kala

Jahangir’s’ name, another most wanted criminal. The callers had in possession the

victim’s land and cellular phone numbers, knew the whereabouts of the family and their

financial position, and could even track daily movement as well as change in address or

phone number, information with which they frightened the victims.

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Many people were forced to pay money, many shifted residences or changed telephone

numbers, and fell seriously ill from persistent tension. The detective branch of police

arrested Khowaj, an old associate of Subrata Bain, who had been collecting extortion by

threatening industrialists and businessmen over phone for many of years. The police

recovered 40 loose sheets of small paper containing 500 contacts of different

businessmen, doctors, engineers and political leaders. Of the five mobile phone

connections that he used, one of them matched the number against which the police were

tracing him. The detective branch has identified that a section of fraudsters, who

threaten people over phone for extortion, hail from Madaripur. In 2002, the law

enforcing agency arrested 50 of them all from Madaripur on similar charges. Their

network is spread across the country and mostly in operation in the Dhaka city (The New

Age Extra: July 11-17, 2008).

Stalking by youth is a serious and potentially damaging form of victimization. A study

examined the nature and contexts of stalking by juveniles and the utility of IOs

(interventions orders) to manage this behavior. Of the 906 applications during the study

period, 33.1 percent (299) met the study criteria for stalking. The majority of stalkers

were male (64%) and most victims female (69%). Most pursued a previously known

victim (98%) and favored direct means of contact via unwanted approaches (76%) and

telephone calls or text messaging (67%). Threats (75%) and physical assaults (54%)

were common (Purcell, Flower, and Mullen, 2009).

Use of cell phone during driving may cause accident and bring miserable conditions.

Cell phone- News updated a list of countries that have banned the use of a cell phone

when driving unless used with some form of hands-free kit including Australia, Austria,

Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India - New

Delhi, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands,

Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovak

Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan,

Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UK, USA and Zimbabwe (http://www.cellular-

news.com/car_bans/).

The scientific studies indicated that engagement in a cell phone conversation while

driving significantly degrades driving performance and contributes to an increased risk

50

of vehicular incidents. Various scientific studies described vehicle control degradation

as: A delay in brake activation three times longer than the reaction deterioration found in

drivers under the influence of alcohol; A four-fold increase in risk associated with the

use of a cell phone while driving as compared to not using a cell phone; The increase in

the relative risk of vehicle collisions similar to the hazard associated with driving with a

blood alcohol level at the legal limit; A diversion of the driver's attention and situational

awareness from driving environment and potential hazards that may unexpectedly impact

safety, during cell phone conversations; A compromise in the safety margin (e.g.,

following distance in adverse driving conditions) provided by a fully aware and

responsive driver. This compromise is caused by secondary tasks that demand the

cognitive engagement of the drivers, such as cell phone conversation engagement; The

reduction in the ability to maintain lane position while operating a heavy vehicle and an

increase in potential crash hazard exposures for experienced drivers who were

simultaneously engaged in tasks that required the cognitive attention (e.g., cell phone

conversations) of the drivers; No difference in the level of safety for the use of hands-

free compared to hand-held design cell phones (Lamble, Kauranen, Laakso and

Summala, 1999).

During recent political disharmony of Bangladesh, Bangladesh police received many

SMS showing threat over VOIP facilities (The Daily Prothom Alo: October 27, 2013).

Very recent, on 3 September, 2015 there a call was come into an OC of Dhaka

metropolitan police’s mobile number from IGP of Bangladesh to release a criminal

immediately otherwise he will be suspended within 10 minutes. After investigation it

was confirmed that the mobile number of IGP was real and criminals did the call through

using internet with the help of software named Spoofing.

Before that there many mobile related crimes occurred in Bangladesh. A phone call was

given to all UP members from the mobile number of Member of Parliament of Tangail-6

and demanded speed money for allocating big budget for their union parishod. Same

mobile fraud was did with MP Nurunabi Shaown and UNO of Gopalgonj. Another

incident was comminuted with main urban planner of Dhaka North City Corporation. A

nude SMS was sent to some government high officials from this mobile number as well

as he also got same SMS from his own number. After investigation, it was cleared that

this mobile fraud did with the help of internet and a 10 members group doing this all

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over the country. The investigator team indentified 120 fake bKash account through

those money transaction were completed (The Daily Jugantor: September 09, 2015).

The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), confirmed that all the mobile

phone operators of the country purchased equipments that help them (security organs) to

tap phones from their offices. They call it Lawful Interception (LI), the legally

sanctioned official access to private communications, such as telephone calls or

messages. The Bangladesh Telecommunication (amendment) Act, 2006 has been made

in the name of protecting ‘national security’ and restoring ‘public order’. They cite the

success of the tele-tapping process through the apprehension of JMB kingpins Shaikh

Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai (Siddiqul Islam) by law enforcers (The New Age:

March 11, 2010).

Under the ICT Act-2006, recently Ruhul Amin Khondoker, a former teacher of

Jahangirnagar University sentenced three years imprisonment with fine 10 thousand taka

for publishing death desiring wish of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the

Facebook. Before that on 27 July, 2013 Hafizur Rahman, lecturer of BUET and on 25

September, 2014 Tonmoy Mallik was also sentenced 7 years imprisonment under the

Information and Communication Act for giving life threat to the Bangladesh prime

minister as well as making and publishing controversial cartoon of Banghabondhu and

Sheikh Hasina in the facebook (The Daily Prothom Alo: August 13, 2015).

On 10 April, 2011 the Education Ministry of the Government of Bangladesh has

circulated an office order to its educational institutions that in many institution both

teachers and students are using cell phone during conduction study. The circular gave an

order to all educational institutions under the ministry for not using cell phone in the

class rooms (Education Ministry Office Order, 2011).

Recently, Advocate Fazle Rabbi Mia, deputy speaker of the National Parliament of

Bangladesh told many girl students are victimized through eve teasing for abusing

mobile sets and he advised parents not to give mobile handsets to the students before

completing HSC degree (The Daily Bangladesh Protidin: September 26, 2014).

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Mobile phones have become a tool for everyday use, which creates an opportunity for

the evolution of banking services to reach the previously unbanked population through

mobile banking as well. The use of mobile banking can make basic financial services

more accessible to low-income people, minimizing time and distance to the nearest retail

bank branches (CGAP, 2006). The outstanding growth of mobile sector worldwide has

created a unique opportunity to provide social and financial services over the mobile

network. With over 4 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, mobile network

has the ability to immediately offer mobile banking to 61% of the world population

(Sultana, 2009). But still the usage of mobile banking is a debatable issue among the

educated persons and professional body because of the risk involved in such transactions.

Though many of such people argue that internet and other technology based transaction

is not safe, not practical and would lead to fraud, a lot of people think it safer, flexible in

time and can be done anywhere and anytime (Chowdhury & Ahmmad, 2011). Besides

the positiveness of mobile banking, few incidents creating panic in the mind of mobile

banking clients. From the inception of bKash mobile banking system, crime incidents

occurring increasingly in our country. Many bKash agents are being victimized through

snatching, hijacking, demanding extortion etc (The Daily Kaler Kantho: June 19, 2014).

Now a days, bKash related fraudulent picture is a very common picture in Bangladesh

and a large group working behind this. Lots of money is transferred illegally through

bKash and many people is being victimized for bKash including high profile govt.

officials, army person, university vice chancellor and elite persons of the society. The

gang offers many good items or news such as dinner offer with novel laureate, getting a

new plot, abduction news, theft & hacking news, SIM card replace, fake national ID

card, get back stolen auto rickshaw or CNG, Jiner badsha offer, winning a lottery prize

news etc. before them and advice to send money to the pre-assigned mobile bKash

number. Their money demand range is between 300 to crore (onlinenews24.com, May

22, 2015).

3.5.2. The nature of interrelationship between Internet, Crime and Deviance

Day by day, the rate of cyber crime is increasing especially by using facebook in

Bangladesh and the major part of this crime is bad comment or post on some one

facebook wall intentionally. Recently, Nasir Hossain, a prominent Bangladesh cricketer

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post a picture with sister on his facebook wall on 25 june, 2015 and many bad facebook

users did bad and vulgar comments on his post. At a result he deactivate his account and

Mashrafee Bin Mortoza, captain of Bangladesh cricket team also restrict his facebook ID

for Bangladesh users (Amadersomoy.com, June 30, 2015). Information Minister of

Bangladesh, Hasanul Haq Inu recently claimed in a press briefing that he found at least

five fake facebook account in his name. He complained to the concerned body for

stooping those fake accounts (The Daily Kaler Kantho: August 26, 2014).

For Cyber crime, sometimes house wife’s and school, college and university studying

young lady are become the ultimate victims. Secret and private photos and videos are

published in online without their consent. As a result many of them are decided to

commit suicide. Recently, a student of Dhaka University being victimized by such kind

of crime. She made love with the boy after getting introduced with the facebook. Once

the boy captured some nude picture of her and showing threat to get marry otherwise he

will publish those pictures (bdtoday.net:September 20, 2014).

Narshingdi Sadar Thana Police recently recovered a young abducted boy who caught in

the trap of fake facebook account in the name of Munny Akter and arrested four fraud

and abductors. Police mentioned, cyber criminals attract especially young boys through

fake female facebook ID and most of them are looks beautiful. They started talked with

target boys with female tune and invite to see her in a pre-specified place. And, when

they come, they abduct them and demand huge money (bdtoday.net:September 11,

2014).

A survey done by United Student Organization revealed that university level students

passed more than six hours in a day for the purpose of using social networking sites like

facebook and youtube. They are being busy for sending message and sharing video with

each other. Even they do so in the class room. About 75 percent of under graduate

students browse facebook and twitter at least half to two hours in a day

(http://news.zoombangla.com/technology/2014-06-24-13-45-19-7-11482).

Institute of Public Policy Research Think Tank of USA recently published that half of

American teen aged see sex stimulating photos and videos as their part of daily work.

Somehow sexual contents web links appears before them, even they don’t want to see

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and in this way they becoming interesting about sexual contents in the web. Report also

stated, at 11 aged teens daily see porn movies and when their age crossed 14, they stated

research on sex. For these reasons, many misconceptions created about sex and at a

result they faced many problems in real life (The Daily Kaler Kantho: August 22, 2014).

A recent study by Bupa on 2000 people found that a quarter of young adults aged

between 18 and 24 only walk an average of five minutes a day and parents aged 42-54

years old blamed technology for keeping the young adults in the UK from walking and

said they walked more than their children do when they were their age (The Daily Star:

October 22, 2013).

A research team of USA and UK surveyed on 881 young girls and found that more

affection of young girls about social networking media especially facebook leads worried

about their own physical health and brought negative change on lifestyle, food habits,

beautification etc. Even, many of them spent more time to reduce their fatness (The

Daily Prothom Alo: April 12, 2014).

Even though the purpose of Facebook is effectively to reveal details about everything

and anything you do, access to this knowledge could take a toll on your mental well-

being. A recent study done by the Department of Behavioral Science at the Utah Valley

University discovered that heavy Facebook users aren't the happiest people out there.

The researchers found that just using Facebook makes you view your life more

negatively. Of 400 students questioned, "those who have used Facebook longer agreed

more that others were happier, and agreed less that life is fair, and those spending more

time on Facebook each week agreed more that others were happier and had better lives"

(Jacques, 2013).

For the excessive use of internet and technology making a man or women dependent on

those facilities and day by day they losing their memories. Recently, Colombia

university of USA stated that at present day people knows about gogoole and when a

person need an information, they just got help from it. They don’t need to keep hard

copies or use library for further collection.

A British research studied on 30 thousand students and found that the teens those were

addicted for using social communication media before 7 years old; today many of them

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are suffering from lack of self confidence especially girls are deep concern. One in five

girls chat with unknown person and one-third of total students watch porn movies and

horror films in the online. Disclosure of teenager’s personal life events in the online

might create great negative impact on their future life style (The Daily Kaler Kantho:

November 11, 2014).

After reviewed five thousand marriage separation cases, British law Institute stated in

their Divorce Online page that facebook is the main cause of one-third of the separation

cases in the world. Beside this, publishing inter enmity comments in the social media,

strangely using facebook in the different restaurants, publishing objectionable picture in

the internet etc. are the other causes of divorce/separation. Facebook is using as the most

potential medium to break relationship, mistrust one another, fraud opposite gender, push

far away, submit love/romance proposal, exchange cordial emotion etc. in the world. K.

Jesson Krafski mentioned in his book “Facebook and Your Marriage’’ that the way of

proposing love at present world is totally different from traditional ways and different

web sites are available for proposing love. One can easily propose and make love

through these sites and there is a little possibility to catch for adultery by the guardians

(prime newsbd.com: June 7, 2015).

Though everybody well aware about the danger of using cell phone during driving, many

drivers are doing so during driving. An American report revealed, 90 percent drivers

drive their vehicle risky while they use cell phone (The Daily Kaler Kantho: November

12, 2014).

Though porn video is a controversy, its expansion increasing day by day in the world.

And this expansion rate is high in the develop countries. At present in making porn

movie Canada is staying at the top and in last five years most of the porn movies made in

west asia and Nigeria. At least five countries are found whose female see porn movie

than the male. Report mentioned that they did not find out a single adult male who did

not seen porn movie. Before 13 years, there were 70 thousand porn site in the world and

at present its number is 20 crore in where 50 lakh porn sites exists in the USA. A survey

found that 3 crore people watch porn movie/videos per second. AVN Award also known

as Porn Oscar is given to the famous porn star and their income level is very high and in

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some cases its amount is higher than Hollywood super stars (The Daily Bangladesh

Protidin: August 23, 2015).

Recently a so called lover raped her girl friend and record video. The victim claimed to

the police that her so called boy friend raping from one year by showing fear to upload

raping video. She told, they communicate with each other through cell phone and fall in

love, at last she caught into the trap of rapist (http://news.zoombangla.com/technology/).

A housewife of Chandinagar, India being gang raped by her so called facebook friend

and his friends in the name of showing cinema. She became a friend with the boy by

using facebook and starting communication over sharing phone number (The Daily Kaler

Kantho: June 18, 2014).

Mombai heart Throop super star Ashkhoy Kumar recently got life threat from Mumbai

under world naming hide gang star Robi Pujari. The criminals demand huge money

extortion from him over phone and at a result police giving him 24 hours security and

police claimed its not new one (The Daily Prothom Alo: October 27, 2013).

Recently, cyber hacker published some secret and private confidential photos of

Hollywood celebrities through breaking their computer, mobile and online password.

After this case technology specialist gave their opinion to control these type of incident

and technology users have to following tips- don’t capture so much secret images, if

captured for necessary then delete immediately, set up strong password in hand sets, not

only depend on cloud for data backup, set up complex password in online login, detect

two level based online security system, avoid fishing games from cyber criminal so that

they cannot know your name, credit cards number, password etc. and lastly developing

awareness about cyber crime and criminals (The Daily Prothom Alo: September 8,

2014).

Prison security system as well as cyber security is fragile in Bangladesh. Recently Faribi

Shafiur Rahman a known activist of banned terror group Hizbut Tahrir done his activities

even staying inside the high secured Kashimpur Prison. He threatens many persons

including present prime minister of Bangladesh over communication technology. He was

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regular in facebook and bolgs for spreading their messages to all (The Daily Bangladesh

Protidin: August 19, 2014).

Over the last three months, it seems like the bulk of the British political and media

establishment has moved on to the social networking site, Facebook. Politicians are

jumping on a new way to meet voters. Facebook is a small but active battlefield in May's

elections of UK, and perhaps more so for the Labour party leadership and deputy

leadership elections. It provides the facility to organize contacts and events and to

network and discuss issues with people who share similar interests, whether they be

serious or unimportant. Facebook is by no means the only online social networking

facility, yet it has become "the one" for politics, far beyond any use of MySpace or

LinkedIn. While Facebook was originally designed for university students, it is entirely

accessible to adults of all ages. And together with the ability to organize canvassing

sessions, fundraising events, and policy debates, it's no surprise really that political

activists would see the benefits (Hilton, 2007).

From the beginning of the situation, in addition to social networks like Twitter,

Facebook, blogs, cell phones played a vital role in propagating the news across the world

and they haven't finished their role yet. The gruesome video of Neda Soltani reached

world web in few minutes after Hamed filmed it and it is said she may have been

targeted because she was using a mobile. Within hours the death had become one of the

most potent threats faced by the Iranian regime in 30 years. The Iranian government

closed the grid and blocked all cell phone uses that that period. Not only in Iran; the

recent terror in Mumbai that shook India last year was machinated and maneuvered by

cell phones. According to Indian investigators and police, the heavily armed attackers

who set out for Mumbai by sea, navigated with Global Positioning System equipment.

They carried Black Berry sets, CDs holding high-resolution satellite images like those

used for Google Earth maps, and multiple cell phones with switchable SIM cards that

would be hard to track. Evidently the terrorist attack in 9/11 was also promulgated by

cell phone and help of contiguous swarm intelligence (Samayeen, 2009).

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) recently made a team

named Bangladesh Computer Security Incident Response Team (BD-CSIRT) for

fighting against cyber crime. They found more criminal and deviant activities are

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committing trough using facebook and youtube. Most of the complaints are come for

fake account and abuse of facebook. According to them most of the reported cyber

crimes are fake facebook account opening, uploading obscene videos, threatening over

cell phone and E-mail, website hacking etc (The Bangladesh Protidin: November 02,

2012).

Crime reduction through product design offers a new way of thinking about crime

prevention. Technological developments will only enhance the capacity of protective

designs to act as successful crime reduction tools in the future. Computers and

telecommunications equipment can be used for: fraud and other white-collar crime;

hacking; and malicious damage to networks, and computer systems and data (Lester,

2001).

3.5.3. The nature of interrelationship between Television/radio, Crime and

Deviance

Liton Dewan is a well known numerologist from Bangladesh, caught by Law

Enforcement in Bangladesh couple of years ago (on 15/08/2008). In a report of

Boishakhi TV Channel he admits to his crimes on TV News and he confessed this type

of business is totally fake. Liton works his fraudulent activities under name of "SHESH

DARSHAN AJMERI GEMS HOUSE LTD." or "Ajmeri gems House" in Dhaka. He

gave many lucrative and charismatic problem solved advertisement in the print and

electronic media (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSSf4QgiRhM).

Independent TV channel also made a crime report (Talash) on his fraudulent activities.

The report stated "Not just one, but thousands of fake tantrics thrive in the capital. One

of them is self-proclaimed astrologer, Samrat Liton Dewan advertises in newspapers and

television. Even certain film artists and directors named ATM Shamsuzzaman, Ratna,

Kazi Hayat, Ahmed Sharif, Mizu Ahmed and Rina Khan provide publicity in favor of his

fraudulent business. The reporter communicates with the film stars about his charismatic

power but they all confessed they performed for him only for money, commercial

purposes, nothing else. So many people who are facing many problems are being

misguided by this type of fraudulent person as well as advertisements. But the role of

film star is questionable and only for money they cannot be performed in this type of

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fraudulent business because of their social responsibility

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpKRDPnTKs).

Recently bdnews24.com, an online newspaper published that Abdur Rahman (38 years)

and Lipi Begum (30 years) (husband & wife) quarrel with each other and got deadly

injured for demanding to watch Bujhena se bujhena, an Indian TV (Star Jalsha) serial

(Bdnews24.com, December 6, 2014). A seven class reading student named Sarna

Khatun (12 years old) hanged herself for not permission to see Star Jalsha, an Indian TV

channel recently (Amadersomoy.com, February 23, 2015).

Now a days many argued that TV advertisement may cause cultural dysfunction in the

society. Recently, Atul Kumar Anjan, an Indian CPI political leader argued, Dunny

Leone’s condom advertisement played a role in the increasement of rape rate in the

Indian. He mentioned it as a nude advertisement which brought sexual excitement among

the young generation (The Daily Kaler Kantha, September 03, 2015).

Recently, a research team of Sao Paulo University of Brasil surveyed on 5221 Europe

children and published a report in Journal of Cardiology. In the report they stated that the

children, who watch television, play games in computer & video games more than two

hours in a day they fall into the risk of high blood pressure (amadersomoy.com, February

26, 2015).

3.6. Impact of Dysfunctional use of Communication TechnologiesA study retrieved some problems regarding cell phone uses. The screen of mobile phones

are relatively undersized than other form of using Internet. For this, high concentration to

the screen is needed. As a result, the users (especially who use much time) feel different

physical problems. Most of them (41 percent) have faced the pain or other problems of

their eyes. Its hampering their normal sleep, they think. Stress on head and eyes disturb

on their normal sleeping habit. In case of wastages of money and time about 68.8 percent

internet users do not perceive it as wastage while about 7.9 percent non users have

replied as wastage. In case of cultural impact they stated as it is imported from western

regions it may cause impact on local culture and it has a worry about it. Ethics is highly

considered with our lifestyles and values and all of the concerns should be aware that

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they are using modern technology. So, it should be in ethical manner (Hamid & Akter,

2009). In Saudi Arabia, a brother of bride withheld marriage ceremony for demanding I

Phone 6 from groom as dowry (The Daily Prothom Alo: September 22, 2014).

Many educationalists and psychologists arguing that very recent HSC result was

disastrous due to excessive use of smart phone, facebook and internet. It is not only in

Bangladesh, in 2013 there was a study conducted in the UK for finding out the cause of

result disaster and they also claimed for facebook (The Daily Jugantor: September 09,

2015).

A Bangladeshi hacker could access any bank account using any ATM card if he only

knew the PIN. He learned the technique from a mate while serving a jail sentence

abroad. He installed secret cameras in some ATM booths in Dhaka dodging the security

guards. From the recorded images, he could read the PIN numbers of the users and

withdraw cash from their accounts (Matin, 2014).

Cyber bullying is a term used to describe covert, psychological bullying behaviors

among mainly teenagers through email, chat rooms, mobile phones, text messages,

mobile phone cameras and websites. As a relatively new phenomenon, there is limited

research on cyber bullying. The rise of cyber bullying is attributed primarily to increased

adolescent access to the internet and mobile phones, facilitated by the anonymity

provided by the internet (Campbell, 2005; Brown, Jackson & Cassidy, 2006).

3.6.1. Social and Economic Impacts

Mobile telephone fraud is a more recent area of concern. In the United States, Brooks

and Davis (1994) estimate that cellular telephone fraud is costing over a million dollars a

day to the industry, with the equivalent of A $900 million a year lost on illegal calls

actually detected. In Britain, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (1995)

estimates that between twelve and fifteen thousand analogue and up to 1000 digital

mobile telephones are stolen each month while subscription fraud is estimated to amount

to the equivalent of A$144 million per annum or 1 per cent of network turnover.

Customs Detective and Inquiry Department recently seized more than illegal 400

hundred expensive brand mobile sets including I-phone, HTC, Nokia, Samsing,

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Blackberry, Sony Experia, Motorolla etc.from Banani, Dhaka. Law enforcements stated

that these are imported from neighbor countries without any legal documents and at a

result Bangladesh depriving from huge revenue collection. Customers are depriving from

getting real sets due to absence of registered IMEI number as well as law enforcements

face problems to detect these types of hand sets (Bangla News24.com: August 28, 2014).

Recently Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) mentioned in their report

that the financial future of online newspaper might be faced big trouble due to

continuous popularity grow of reading news in the smartphone and social

communication networking media. Now a days people mostly search news trough using

search engine and social communication networking media. A smart phone user spent

most of time for using facebook following youtube, twitter, whatsapp, instragram and

snapchat. For the purpose of reading news, a smart phone user spent half time out of total

spent time on using smart phone (The Daily Prothom Alo: June 16, 2015).

Mohankumar (2010) provided the information on Social Problems related to Cell phone

Abuse: In attention blindness; Caller Hegemony; Cognitive load, Accidents and

Psychological problems.

Inattention Blindness: Cell phone use in social situations may result in overload – both

physical and mental; Local interaction with the surroundings and remote interaction with

the other person demands certain attention- e.g. when we talk in a bus stand or crossing

the road; In public places makes the user “blind “to local cues due to cognitive overload.

e.g. when we use cell phone while walking through the road, we will not see a vehicle

coming close to you; Reduces the reaction time to events around the user. e.g. we will

not get time to move away from a danger; Reduced attention to local situation may

disturb others since the user is not attending the social situation. e.g. our conversation

and body language may be annoying to others; Use of Mobile phones in gatherings,

meetings, entertainment places etc disturb others through inattention blindness.

Caller Hegemony: The alarming ring tone may demand higher attention to the phone

rather than the local settings. If anyone uses cell phones in busy areas, trains or buses, the

sudden ring tone may alter our attention or the message from the caller may cause a

disturbed feeling. This will leads to inattention blindness. Caller Hegemony is the

asymmetric relationship between the caller and answerer.

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Cognitive Load: Mobile phone use in public places makes the user overloaded and

become unaware of the details of communicative behavior of co- located individuals as

well as other relevant features of the social situation. It is advised that not use cell phones

while driving a vehicle or operating machinery or crossing the road.

Accidents: Mobile phone use while driving may cause accidents due to inattention

blindness and cognitive load. Cell phone conversation distracts the driver’s attention,

increase reaction time, and reduce visual field attention; Cognitive load rises above

visual sensation and diverts attention. Reaction to and memory of visual inputs while

driving will drastically reduce if the cognitive load increases. The same negative effects

may also happen if the driver uses a hands free phone. e.g. If the actual distance between

two vehicles is 5 meters, due to cognitive load, the driver may feel that, it is 10 meters.

This is the reason for the accidents, if cell phone is used while driving a vehicle.

Psychological problems: Over use of Cell phones may cause two New generation

Psychological problems. No-Mo phobia (NoMobile phobia): When we run out of credit

or battery, lose of phone or are in an area with no reception, being phoneless can bring a

panic symptom referred to as NoMo Phobia or No Mobile phobia. Ringxiety- Ringtone

anxiety: Ringxiety is the sensation and false belief that one can hear his or her mobile

phone ringing or fell it vibrating. Humans are sensitive to auditory tones between 1000

and 6000 Hz. The ring tone frequency falls within this range. The term is also used to

explain the condition in which a person frequently takes the cell phone to see whether

there is any a miscall or messages.

Dependence: One study finds that 37 percent of teens felt they wouldn’t be able to live

without a cell phone once they had it. This study also shows that the more friends a teen

has, the more likely they are to feel dependent on their phone and let calls or text

messages interfere with their daily schedule.

Dishonesty: The Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 39 percent of cell

users ages 18-29 say they are not always truthful about where they are when they are on

the phone.

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Expense: Parents often experience sticker shock when they receive the bill for their

child’s cell phone. Special ring tones, text, picture and video messaging, downloadable

games, overage minutes and connecting to the Internet can all be very expensive and

heavily used by teens.

3.6.2. Health Impacts

Technology analysts recently claimed that long time use of smart phone and electronic

device like tap before go to sleep can make a long term impact on sleep and health of

users. Recently, Business and Technology related website published a report related to

the issue. Artificial blue ray emitted from smart phone screen can destroy sleeping circle

and felt an impact on health. Besides this other problems like eye visualization problem

due heavy impact on eye retina, create eye asthenia, bad impact on mental temperament

etc. may occur in the life users. Many users use their smart phone or tab from keeping

distance 18 cm instead of 40 cm. As a result zin related problems may also found in the

users life (The Daily Prothom Alo: September 6, 2014.).

The effect mobile phone radiation has on human health is the subject of recent interest

and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the

world (GSM Association, 2009). British skin experts mentioned in a report that for using

mobile phone one kind of skin disease might be appeared in the human body. They

mentioned its name as mobile phone dramatizes. Today’s most of the mobile phones

body made of steal and nickel coating. For such kind of devices mouth, ear, nose of

human body might be affected more than other parts of body. They warned females more

than male for this disease. Because, females are the more suffering from this mobile

phone dramatize disease (The Daily Ittefaq: October 23, 2010).

Recently, American researchers stated, male reproduction capability decreased for using

cell phone, especially when they keep their cell phones in the pants pocket for long term.

For justifying these impacts seven countries researchers conducted research on these

issues. Among them USA, China and Australian experts mentioned, sperm production

rate very much decreased, if cell phone kept in the pants pocket as in active mode.

American Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Devra Davis found that the young people who use cell

phone about 4 hours in a day, their sperms rate become half and most of the sperms

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shape became weak, thin and unable to swim in the ovum (The Daily Bangladesh

Pratidin: October 11, 2010).

Beside much usefulness, there have many health risks related downsides of Cell Phones

use and abuse (http://www.cmch.tv/mentors/hottopic.asp?id=70).

Mental health: Problematic use of cell phones and found a link between low self-esteem

and problem cell phone use. A study measuring the link between cell phones and mental

health found that teens who used cell phones the most were more likely to be anxious

and depressed.

Bullying: Text messaging is increasing used by bullies to torment their victims. Cyber

bullying, psychological harassment in text or instant messaging is more often perpetrated

by girls, who initiate inappropriate messages or spread damaging gossip.

Eye strain and “digital thumb”: Just like other repetitive strain injuries that can result

from computer use and other repetitive tasks, these conditions can result from focusing

continually on a small screen and typing on small buttons.

Bacteria: Because of the close proximity to the mouth where germs can be passed from

breathing, coughing and sneezing, most cell phones are crawling with bacteria.

Additionally, many people use their phone everywhere, even in the bathroom.

Brain tumors and low sperm counts: While some research investigating the effects of

electromagnetic radiation from cell phones in close proximity to the body have found

statistical associations, other studies have found no increased risk.

Lack of sleep: One study found that some teen cell phone users are likely to be woken at

night by incoming text messages or calls, and are therefore more likely to be tired and

less able to focus throughout the day.

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3.6.3. Potentially Dangerous Elements of Cell Phones

As cell-phone use continues to grow, so does concern about the possible health risks of

prolonged exposure to cell-phone radiation. Wireless cell phones transmit signals via

radio frequency (RF), the same kind of low-frequency radiation used in microwave

ovens and AM/FM radios. Scientists have known for years that large doses of high-

frequency radiation the kind used in X-rays causes cancer, but less is understood about

the risks of low-frequency radiation. According to the American Cancer Society, the low

energy level emitted from cell phones and absorbed by human tissues makes it unlikely

that they cause cancer. Some studies have indicated that using a cell phone an hour a day

for 10 years or more can significantly increase the risk of developing a rare brain tumor

(West. 2010).

Most RF from cell phones comes from the antenna, which sends signals to the nearest

base station. The farther the cell phone is from the nearest base station, the more

radiation it requires to send the signal and make the connection. As a result, scientists

theorize that the health risks from cell-phone radiation would be greater for people who

live and work where base stations are farther away or fewer in number. In December

2007, Israeli researchers reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology that long-

term cell-phone users who live in rural areas face a "consistently elevated risk" of

developing tumors in the parotid gland compared with users who live in urban or

suburban locations. The parotid gland is a salivary gland located just below a person’s

ear. And in January 2008, the French Health Ministry issued a warning against excessive

cell phone use, especially by children, despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence

linking cell-phone use with cancer or other serious health effects. The amount of RF a

person is exposed to with the use of a cell phone depends on a number of factors: The

distance from the base station; The duration and frequency of cell phone use; The age of

the phone (older analog models involve higher exposure than newer, digital ones) (West,

2010).

Impact of Cell phone Radiation: The World Health Organization (2000 & 2005), based

upon the consensus view of the scientific and medical communities, has stated in the past

that cancer is unlikely to be caused by cellular phones or their base stations and that

reviews have found no convincing evidence for other health effects. Many scientific

studies have investigated possible health effects of mobile phone radiations. These

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studies are occasionally reviewed by some scientific committees to assess overall risks.

A recent assessment was published in 2007 by the European Commission Scientific

Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR, 2007).

Radiation absorption: Part of the radio waves emitted by a mobile telephone handset is

absorbed by the human head. The radio waves emitted by a GSM handset can have a

peak power of 2 watts, and a US analogue phone had a maximum transmit power of 3.6

watts. Other digital mobile technologies, such as CDMA 2000 and D-AMPS, use lower

output power, typically below 1 watt, UVA. The maximum power output from a mobile

phone is regulated by the mobile phone standard it is following and by the regulatory

agencies in each country. In most systems the cell phone and the base station check

reception quality and signal strength and the power level is increased or decreased

automatically, within a certain span, to accommodate for different situations such as

inside or outside of buildings and vehicles. The rate at which radiation is absorbed by the

human body is measured by the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), and its maximum

levels for modern handsets have been set by governmental regulating agencies in many

countries. In the USA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set a SAR

limit of 1.6 W/kg, averaged over a volume of 1 gram of tissue, for the head. In Europe,

the limit is 2 W/kg, averaged over a volume of 10 grams of tissue. SAR values are

heavily dependent on the size of the averaging volume. SAR data for specific mobile

phones, along with other useful information, can be found directly on manufacturers'

websites, as well as on third party web sites.

Thermal effects: The effect of microwave radiation is dielectric heating, in which any

dielectric material (such as living tissue) is heated by rotations of polar molecules

induced by the electromagnetic field. In the case of a person using a cell phone, most of

the heating effect will occur at the surface of the head, causing its temperature to increase

by a fraction of a degree. In this case, the level of temperature increase is an order of

magnitude less than that obtained during the exposure of the head to direct sunlight. The

brain's blood circulation is capable of disposing of excess heat by increasing local blood

flow (SCENIHR, 2007).

Non-thermal effects: The communications protocols used by mobile phones often result

in low-frequency pulsing of the carrier signal. Whether these modulations have

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biological significance has been subject to debate. Some researchers have argued that so-

called "non-thermal effects" could be reinterpreted as a normal cellular response to an

increase in temperature. The German biophysicist Roland Glaser, for example, has

argued that there are several thermoreceptor molecules in cells, and that they activate a

cascade of second and third messenger systems, gene expression mechanisms and

production of heat shock proteins in order to defend the cell against metabolic cell stress

caused by heat (Glaser, 2005).

Blood-brain barrier effects: Swedish researchers from Lund University have studied the

effects of microwave radiation on the rat brain. They found a leakage of albumin into the

brain via a permeated blood-brain barrier (Salford, Brun, Perrson, Eberhardt, and

Malmgren, 2003).

Cancer: In 2006 a large Danish study about the connection between mobile phone use

and cancer incidence was published. It followed over 420,000 Danish citizens for 20

years and showed no increased risk of cancer (Schüz, Jacobsen, Olsen, Boice,

McLaughlin, and Johansen, 2006). In order to investigate the risk of cancer for the

mobile phone user, a cooperative project between 13 countries has been launched called

INTERPHONE. The idea is that cancers need time to develop so only studies over 10

years are of interest. The INTERPHONE study group from Japan published the results of

a study of brain tumor risk and mobile phone use. They used a new approach:

determining the SAR inside a tumor by calculating the radio frequency field absorption

in the exact tumor location. Cases examined included glioma, meninigioma, and pituitary

adenoma. They reported that the overall odds ratio (OR) was not increased and that there

was no significant trend towards an increasing OR in relation to exposure, as measured

by SAR (Takebayashi, Varsier, Kikuchi, Wake, Taki, Watanabe, Akiba, and Yamaguchi,

2008).

In 2007, Dr. Lennart Hardell, from Örebro University in Sweden, reviewed published

epidemiological papers (2 cohort studies and 16 case-control studies) and found that:

Cell phone users had an increased risk of malignant gliomas; Link between cell phone

use and a higher rate of acoustic neuromas; Tumors are more likely to occur on the side

of the head that the cell handset is used and One hour of cell phone use per day

significantly increases tumor risk after ten years or more

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(http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/64/9/626.pdf). A publication titled "Public health

implications of wireless technologies" Sage found age is a significant factor. The report

repeated the finding that the use of cell phones before age 20 increased the risk of brain

tumors by 5.2, compared to 1.4 for all ages (Sage, 2009).

Cognitive effects: A 2009 study examined the effects of exposure to radiofrequency

radiation (RFR) emitted by standard GSM cell phones on the cognitive functions of

humans. The study confirmed longer (slower) response times to a spatial working

memory task when exposed to RFR from a standard GSM cellular phone placed next to

the head of male subjects, and showed that longer duration of exposure to RFR may

increase the effects on performance (Luria, Eliyahu, Hareuveny, Margaliot, Meiran,

2009).

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity: Some users of mobile handsets have reported feeling

several unspecific symptoms during and after its use; ranging from burning and tingling

sensations in the skin of the head and extremities, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness,

loss of mental attention, reaction times and memory retentiveness, headaches, malaise,

tachycardia (heart palpitations), to disturbances of the digestive system.

Genotoxic effects: A large recent meta-study of 101 scientific publications on

genotoxicity of RF electromagnetic fields shows that 49 report a genotoxic effect and 42

do not (Ruediger, 2009). In 1995, in the journal Bioelectromagnetics, Wengong Lai and

Mohinder Singh reported damaged DNA after two hours of microwave radiation at

levels deemed safe according to government standards (Harrill, 2005).

Sleep and EEG effects: Sleep, EEG and waking rCBF have been studied in relation to RF

exposure for a decade now, and the majority of papers published to date have found

some form of effect. German research from 2006 found that statistically significant EEG

changes could be consistently found, but only in a relatively low proportion of study

participants (12 - 30%) (Bachmann, Lass, Säkki, Tomson, Tuulik, Hinrikus, 2006).

Health hazards of base stations: Another area of concern is the radiation emitted by the

fixed infrastructure used in mobile telephony, such as base stations and their antennas,

which provide the link to and from mobile phones. This is because, in contrast to mobile

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handsets, it is emitted continuously and is more powerful at close quarters. On the other

hand, field intensities drop rapidly with distance away from the base of the antenna

because of the attenuation of power with the square of distance.

Several surveys have found increases of symptoms depending upon proximity to

electromagnetic sources such as mobile phone base stations. A survey study by Santini et

al, 2002 in France found a variety of self-reported symptoms for people who reported

that they were living within 300 metres (984 ft) of GSM cell towers in rural areas, or

within 100 m (328 ft) of base stations in urban areas. Fatigue, headache, sleep disruption

and loss of memory were among the symptoms reported (Santini, Santini, Danze, LeRuz,

Seigne, 2003).

Occupational health hazards: Telecommunication workers who spend time at a short

distance from the active equipment, for the purposes of testing, maintenance, installation,

etc. may be at risk of much greater exposure than the general population. A variety of

studies over the past 50 years have been done on workers exposed to high RF radiation

levels; studies including radar laboratory workers, military radar workers, electrical

workers, and amateur radio operators. Most of these studies found no increase in cancer

rates over the general population or a control group. Many positive results could have

been attributed to other work environment conditions, and many negative results of

reduced cancer rates also occurred (Moulder, Erdreich, Malyapa, Merritt, Pickard, and

Vijayalaxmi, 1999).

3.6.4. Teenagers most affected

The researchers pointed out that 12-26 week old rats are comparable in age to human

teenagers, the most frequent users of mobile phones. This level of damage to the nerve

cells is worrying, as "it may result in reduced brain reserve capacity". In other words, the

teenagers’ brains may age prematurely. A study by retail analysts Mintel found that up to

80% of 11 to 14 year-olds have a mobile phone in the United Kingdom. There is now

evidence that a wide range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum can have

biological effects from DNA damage in brain cells to childhood leukemia (ISIS, 2004).

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3.6.5. Precautionary principle

According to the WHO (2002), the "precautionary principle" is "a risk management

policy applied in circumstances with a high degree of scientific uncertainty, reflecting

the need to take action for a potentially serious risk without awaiting the results of

scientific research." They involve recommendations such as the minimization of cell

phone usage, the limitation of use by at-risk population (such as children), the adoption

of cell phones and microcells with ALARA levels of radiation, the wider use of hands-

free and earphone technologies such as Bluetooth headsets, the adoption of maximal

standards of exposure, RF field intensity and distance of base stations antennas from

human habitations, and so forth.

In order to protect the population living around base stations and users of mobile

handsets, governments and regulatory bodies adopt safety standards, which translate to

limits on exposure levels below a certain value. There are many proposed national and

international standards, but that of the International Commission for Non-Ionizing

Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is the most respected one, and has been adopted so far by

more than 80 countries. For radio stations, ICNIRP proposes two safety levels: one for

occupational exposure, another one for the general population. Currently there are efforts

underway to harmonise the different standards in existence (International Commission

for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection home page, 2008).

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4.1. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

4.1.1. Sex, Marital Status and Age

It is revealed from the study that about 72 percent communication technology users is

male followed by female (about 28 percent) and most of the users are single (about 53

percent) followed by married (about 45 percent) and others (about 3 percent). In case of

age group most of the users are belong to the age group 20-30 Years (about 53 percent)

followed by 31-Above Years (about 31 percent) and 13-19 Years (about 16 percent)

(Table 1).

Table 1: Respondent’s Sex, Marital Status and age group (n=150).

Sex of the respondentsSex Frequency PercentMale 108 72.0Female 42 28.0Total 150 100.0

Marital Status of the RespondentMarital Status Frequency PercentSingle 80 53.3Married 67 44.7Others 3 2.0Total 150 100.0

Respondent’s age groupAge group Frequency Percent13-19 Years 24 16.020-30 Years 79 52.731-Above Years 47 31.3Total 150 100.0

4 FINDINGS FROM SURVEY

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4.1.2. Education level, Occupation and Monthly Income Level

The study found that most of the communication technology user’s education level is

graduation (about 38 percent) followed by HSC/diploma (about 28 percent), SSC (about

14 percent), primary (about 12 percent) and illiterate (about 8 percent) (Table 2).

Most of the communication technology users occupation is Student (about 37 percent)

followed by Govt./ Private service holder (about 23 percent), Wage earner (about 17

percent), Unemployed/House Wife (about 13 percent) and Businessmen (about 11

percent) (Table 2).

The study also found that about 48 percent communication technology users monthly

income level is 0-5000 BDT followed by 15,001 BDT – Above (about 27 percent),

10,001-15,000 BDT (about 17 percent) and 5001-10,000 BDT (about 9 percent) (Table

2).

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Table 2: Respondent’s Education level, Occupation and Monthly income level

(n=150).

Education level of the respondentsEducation level Frequency PercentIlliterate 12 8.0Primary 18 12.0SSC 21 14.0HSC/Diploma 42 28.0Graduation 57 38.0Total 150 100.0

Occupation of the RespondentsOccupation Frequency PercentUnemployed/House Wife 19 12.7Student 56 37.3Wage Earner 25 16.7Govt./Private Service Holder 34 22.7Businessman 16 10.7Total 150 100.0

Monthly income level of the respondentMonthly income level Frequency Percent0-5000 BDT 72 48.05001-10,000 BDT 13 8.710,001-15,000 BDT 25 16.715,001 BDT – Above 40 26.7Total 150 100.0

4.1.3. Living Area, Living place and Resident Status

The study revealed that most of the communication technology users of Dhaka city are

living in Rented house/Flat (about 53 percent) followed by Hall/ Mess (about 27 percent)

and Own house/Flat (about 20 percent). In case of resident status, most of

communication technology users are migrants (about 73 percent) followed by permanent

residents (about 27 percent) (Table 3).

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Table 3: Respondent’s living place and Resident status (n=150).

Respondent’s living placeLiving place Frequency PercentHall/ Mess 40 26.7Own house/Flat 30 20.0Rented house/Flat 80 53.3Total 150 100.0

Resident status of the respondentResident status Frequency PercentMigrant Resident 110 73.3Permanent Resident 40 26.7Total 150 100.0

4.2 Different aspects of Communication Technology

4.2.1. Types of Communication Technology

In case of multiple response, it is found that most of the communication technology users

mostly use cell phone/land phone (about 94 percent) followed by internet (about 49

percent) and Television/radio (about 46 percent) as priority basis (Graph 1).

Graph 1: Types of communication technology users use most (n=150)

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4.2.2. Purposes of using Communication Technology

As priority basis, most of the respondents uses different communication technologies for

the purposes of personal (about 84 percent) followed by entertainment (about 65

percent), education (about 33 percent), official (about 20 percent) and others (business)

(about 2 percent) (Graph 2).

Graph 2: Purposes of using communication technology (n=150)

4.2.3. Facilities taken from Communication Technologies

The study found that communication technology users are taking different facilities from

different types of communication technologies. From cell phone users are taking mostly

talking facility (about 91 percent) followed by internet browsing (about 48 percent),

others (about 32 percent) including alerting, breaking news, alarm, f.m radio, hearing

news/music etc services. and playing games (about 2 percent) (Graph 3).

Whereas, from broadband internet users are mostly taking using social networking sites

and blogs facility (about 69 percent) followed by e-mail (about 51 percent),

watching/downloading online videos/audios (about 41 percent), browsing (about 36

percent) and others (about 5 percent) like watching online TV channels. In case of

TV/Radio most of the users are taking watching/hearing song/drama/serial/natok/movie

facility (about 67 percent) followed by news (about 53 percent), special program (about

34 percent) and others (about 5 percent) (Graph 3).

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Graph 3: Taking Facilities from Cell phone (n=150), Broad band internet (n=114)and Radio/Television (n=143)

4.2.4. Number of Cell phone, SIM card and E-mail ID

It is found from the study that most of the communication technology users are using 1

cell phone (about 75 percent) followed by 2 cell phone (about 23 percent) and 2+ cell

phone (about 2 percent). Whereas, they are mostly using 2 SIM card (about 62 percent)

followed by 1 SIM card (about 21 percent) and 2+ SIM card (about 17 percent). In case

of E-mail ID, most of the users are using 1 ID (about 61 percent) followed by 2 ID

(about 31 percent) and 2+ ID (about 8 percent) (Graph 4).

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Graph 4: Number of Cell phone (n=150), SIM Card (n=150) and E-Mail ID used by

the respondents (n=106)

4.2.5. Source of Money and Monthly Expenditure

The study found that the main sources of money for expenditure is own income (about

52 percent) followed by family (about 43 percent) and others (about 5 percent) including

office & relatives. In case of expenditure level identification, most of the communication

technology users monthly expenditure level is 200-500 BDT (about 39 percent) followed

by 501-800 BDT (about 35 percent), 801-1100 BDT (about 20 percent) and 1101 BDT –

Above (about 6 percent) (Table 4).

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Table 4: Respondent’s Sources of money and Monthly expenditure level for usingcommunication technologies (n=150)Sources of money for expenditure

Sources Frequency PercentOwn income 78 52.0Family 65 43.33Others 7 4.67Total 150 100.0

Monthly expenditure levelExpenditure level Frequency Percent200-500 BDT 58 38.7501-800 BDT 53 35.3801-1100 BDT 30 20.01101 BDT - Above 9 6.0Total 150 100.0

4.2.6. Duration of talking, internet use and watching/hearing TV/Radio

The study revealed that about 39 percent of the respondents’ daily talk time duration is

36 min – above min and 21-35 min followed by 5-20 min (about 23 percent). For the

purposes of internet use, most of the respondents daily time passing duration is 2 hr-

above (about 37 percent) followed by 01-60 min (about 32 percent) and 1 hr-2 hr (about

30 percent). Whereas, most of the respondents daily duration of watching/hearing

TV/radio is 01-60 min (about 41 percent) followed by 1 hr- 2hr (about 37 percent) and 2

hr –above (about 22 percent) (Graph 5).

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Graph 5: Respondent’s daily spend time for the purposes of talking over cell phone(n=150), internet use (n=122) and watching/hearing TV/Radio (n=136)

4.2.7 Age group of Respondents by Daily talk time

The study revealed that 20-30 years age group of respondents mostly talk daily than

other age group of respondents. About 23 percent of 20-30 years age group respondents

talk 21-35 minutes daily followed by 36 min-above (about 19 percent) and 5-20 minutes

(about 11 percent) (Graph 6). Among 31-above age group respondents, about 16 percent

respondents talk 36 min-above minutes daily followed by 21-35 minutes (about 10

percent) and 5-20 minutes (about 5 percent) (Graph 6). In case of 13-19 age group

respondents, about 6 percent respondents talk 5-20 minutes and 21-35 minutes followed

by 36min-above minutes (about 4 percent) (Graph 6).

Graph 6: Age group of respondents by Daily talk time (n=150)

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4.2.8. Age group of Respondents by Daily internet use time

It is found from the study that 20-30 years age group of respondents mostly use internet

daily than other age group of respondents. About 25 percent of 20-30 years age group

respondents use internet 2hr-above hours daily followed by 01-60 minutes (about 18

percent) and 1hr-2hr (about 17 percent) (Graph 7).

Among 31-above age group respondents, about 9 percent respondents use internet 01-60

min and 1hr-2hr daily followed by 2hr-above (about 7 percent) (Graph 7).

In case of 13-19 age group respondents, about 6 percent respondents use internet 01-60

minutes daily followed by 2hr-above (about 5 percent) and 1hr-2hr (about 4 percent)

(Graph 7).

Graph 7: Age group of respondents by Daily internet use time (n=122)

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4.2.9. Age group of Respondents by Daily watching/hearing TV/Radio time

The study showed that 20-30 years age group of respondents mostly watch/hear

TV/Radio daily than other age group of respondents. About 26 percent of 20-30 years

age group respondents watch/hear TV/Radio 1hr-2hr daily followed by 01-60 minutes

(about 17 percent) and 2hr-above (about 14 percent) (Graph 8).

Among 31-above age group respondents, about 15 percent respondents use watch/hear

TV/Radio 01-60 min daily followed by 1hr-2hr (about 7 percent) and 2hr-above (about 6

percent) (Graph 8).

In case of 13-19 age group respondents, about 10 percent respondents watch/hear

TV/Radio 01-60 minutes daily followed by 1hr-2hr (about 4 percent) and 2hr-above

(about 2 percent) (Graph 8)

Graph 8: Age group of respondents by daily watching/hearing TV/Radio time(n=136).

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4.3. Communication Technology based Crime and Deviance in

Bangladesh

4.3.1. Involvement in Communication technology based deviant and criminalactivitiesIt is revealed from the study that about 51 percent and about 35 percents of the

respondents are involved in different types (cell phone/land phone, internet and

TV/radio) of communication technology based deviant and criminal activities

respectively (Graph 9). On the other hand, about 65 percent respondents also mentioned

that they are witnessed other individual, community members or strangers involvement

in communication technology based deviant activities followed by criminal activities


Graph 9: Respondent’s and others involvement in communication technology baseddeviant and criminal activities (n=150)

4.3.2. Involvement in cell phone based deviant activities

The study found that most of respondents (about 34 percent) are involved in habitually

unnecessary use before going to sleep related cell phone based deviant activities

followed by speaking/hearing song loudly over phone (about 32 percent), Excessive

playing games (about 27 percent), Late night talking regularly (about 27 percent),

Disturbing someone through call/missed call/SMS (about 26 percent), Excessive

browsing mobile internet (about 26 percent), Talking/browsing internet not following

privacy (about 19 percent), Playing ringtones without cause (about 18 percent), Create

pressure on family for buying cell phone (about 4 percent) and Spreading rumors (about

2 percent) (Graph 10).

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Graph 10: Respondents involvement in cell phone based deviant activities (n=73)

4.3.3. Involvement in internet based deviant activities

The study found that about 75 percent of the respondents are passing excessive time in

the social networking media related internet based deviant activities followed by watch

and download porn videos and photos (about 37 percent), using fake account for bad

intention (about 13 percent), attempt to cyber theft or hacking (about 10 percent), others

(about 5 percent) like practicing lie and uploading and posting nude videos and photos


Graph 11: Respondents involvement in internet based deviant activities (n=63)

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4.3.4. Involvement in Television/Radio based Deviant Activities

The study revealed that about 71 percent of the respondents are not maintaining time

schedule, food habit, study period etc. for involvement of TV/radio based deviant

activities followed by watch Television/hear radio abnormally (about 27 percent),

showing abnormal behavior following Television/radio artist character (about 13

percent) and others like follow others cultures etc. (about 11 percent) (Graph 12).

Graph 12: Respondents involvement in TV/Radio based deviant activities (n=56)

4.3.5. Involvement in Communication Technology based Criminal Activities

The study revealed that respondents are involved in different kinds communication based

criminal activities and threatening (about 40 percent) is most committed activity

followed by keeping/sharing porn videos in cell phone/computers (about 38 percent),

illegal use in examination (about 33 percent), eve teasing (about 21 percent), fraud/

cheating (about 13 percent), record secret moments without permission (about 12

percent), talking over cell phone during driving (about 10 percent), organizing criminal

activity (about 8 percent), hacking/spreading virus (about 4 percent) and publishing fake

or controversial report/video/photo etc. for bad intention (about 4 percent) (Graph 13)

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Graph 13: Respondents involvement in communication technology based criminalactivities (n=52)

4.3.6. Age Group by involvement in Deviant and Criminal Activities

The study showed that 20-30 years age group of respondents are more involved in both

deviant and criminal activities than the other group of respondents. About 49 percent of

20-30 years age group respondents are involved in deviant activities followed 31 years-

above (about 27 percent) and 13-19 years (about 23 percent) Graph 14).

In case of criminal activities, 20-30 years (about 48 percent) age group of respondents

are mostly involved followed by 13-19 years (about 29 percent) and 31 years-above


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Graph 14: Age group by respondent’s involvement in deviant (n=77) and criminalactivities (n=52).

4.3.7. Occupation by involvement in Deviant and Criminal Activities

The study revealed that students are more involved in both deviant and criminal activities

than the other occupations respondents. About 39 percent of student respondents are

involved in deviant activities followed govt./private service holders (about 22 percent),

wage earner (about 14 percent), unemployed/house wife (about 12 percent) and

businessmen (about 8 percent) (Graph 15).

In case of criminal activities, students (about 46 percent) are mostly involved followed

wage earner (about 17 percent), govt./private service holders (about 13 percent),

businessmen (about 12 percent) and unemployed/house wife (about 10 percent) (Graph

15).

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Graph 15: Occupation by respondent’s involvement in deviant (n=77) and criminalactivities (n=52).

4.3.8. Ways of involvement in Deviant or Criminal Activities

The study found that there are various factors are worked behind respondents

involvement in deviant or criminal activities and searching entertainment (about 46

percent) is the most important factor followed by personal gain (about 17 percent),

curiosity (about 14 percent), provocation (about 13 percent), political gain (about 7

percent) and other instigating factors (about 4 percent) (Table 5).

Table 5: Respondents ways of involvement in deviant or criminal activities (n=72)

Ways of involvement Frequency PercentProvocation 9 12.50Personal gain 12 16.67Political gain 5 6.94Searching entertainment 33 45.83Curiosity 10 13.89Other instigating factors 3 4.17Total 72 100.0

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4.4. Impacts of Communication Technology and Modernization basedDysfunction

4.4.1. Social dysfunction

The study found that occurrences of different patterns of social dysfunctions are

accelerating for abusing communication technologies. In this regard, respondents are

opined that cyber crime (about 42 percent) is committed mostly for abusing

communication technologies followed by disinterest in study (about 37 percent), sexual

abuse/verbal abuse (about 33 percent), losing family intimacy (about 33 percent),

adultery (about 31 percent), separation (about 29 percent), pre marital sexual relations

(about 28 percent), divorce (about 25 percent), delinquency rate (about 25 percent),

fraudgery (about 22 percent), rape/gang rape (about 21 percent), suicide tendency (about

8 percent) and others (about 7 percent) including loss of social norms & values, children

marriage, economic loss, dishonesty etc. (Graph 16).

Graph 16: Patterns of social dysfunction accelerating for abusing communicationtechnologies (n=150).

4.4.2. Cultural dysfunction

It is found from the study that abuse of communication technologies have a great impact

on our cultural dysfunction. Most of the respondents (about 57 percent) are argued that

our culture is being misguided by other cultures followed by unable to retain own culture

(about 38 percent), demand of extra need (about 33 percent), prevalence of imitation

(about 27 percent), increased dependency (about 16 percent) and others (about 2 percent)

including losing religious norms and values (Graph 17).

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Graph 17: Patterns of cultural dysfunction accelerating for abusing communicationtechnologies (n=150).

4.4.3. Economic dysfunction

The study indicates that economic dysfunctions are accelerating for abusing different

types of communication technologies. In this regard, about 43 percent respondents are

agreed that prevalence of increased expenditure is notable economic dysfunction

happening for abusing communication technologies followed by additional load to

maintain unlimited demand of family members (about 38 percent), motivated by

irrational competition (about 36 percent), excessive domination of foreign technologies

(about 23 percent) and others (about 4 percent) including problem in manpower (Graph

18).

Graph 18: Patterns of economic dysfunction accelerating for abusingcommunication technologies (n=150).

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4.4.4. Health related dysfunction

The respondents are opined that communication technology users are suffered from

various types of health related dysfunction for both use and abuse of communication

technologies and late morning rise (about 47 percent) is most significant one followed by

ear/hearing problem (about 44 percent), sleepiness (about 42 percent), eye problem

(about 31 percent), physical illness (about 29 percent), change of food habit (about 21

percent), malfunction of genital organ (about 7 percent) and less beautification (about 5

percent) (Graph 19).

Graph 19: Patterns of health related dysfunction accelerating for using or abusingcommunication technologies (n=150).

4.4.5. Political dysfunction

According to the respondents political defamation/false publicity (about 54 percent) is

the most common type of political dysfunction committing for abusing communication

technologies followed by religious furore/rage (about 37 percent), spreading propaganda

(about 35 percent), ill motive campaign (about 24 percent) and others (about 4 percent)

(Graph 20).

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Graph 20: Patterns of political dysfunction accelerating for abusing communicationtechnologies (n=145).

4.4.6. Environmental dysfunction

The study found that most of respondents thought, natural biodiversity is destroying

(about 58 percent) for use and abuse of communication technologies followed by noise

pollution (about 57 percent) and others (about 5 percent) (Graph 21).

Graph 21: Patterns of Environmental dysfunction accelerating for using or abusingcommunication technologies (n=137).

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4.4.7. Psychological dysfunction

The study revealed that suffered from depression (about 42 percent) is the most common

type of psychological dysfunction accelerating for using and abusing communication

technologies followed by stressed (about 41 percent), mental illness (about 27 percent),

mental breakdown (about 23 percent), increased temperament/emotion, excitement

(about 22 percent) and traumatized (about 15 percent) (Graph 22).

Graph 22: Patterns of psychological dysfunction accelerating for using or abusingcommunication technologies (n=150).

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4.5. Issues and Factors of Abusing Communication TechnologiesRespondents are requested to give their opinion about issues and factors of abusing

different kinds of communication technologies in Bangladesh. They gave single as well

as multiple answers in response of the question. Following are the priority basis issues

and factors of abusing communication technologies in Bangladesh (Graph 23).

1) Abuse of social media sites (about 58.85 percent)

Using fake facebook and e-mail account

Addiction and dependence on social media network like facebook and

YouTube

Writing contradictory or false religious articles in the facebook or blogs

Spreading political or ill motive publicity in the social media sites

2) Lack of family and institutional control and supervision (about 51.35 percent)

Lack of social and family bond

Unawareness of guardians

Broken family

Lack of proper parental supervision and monitoring

Parents carelessness for children

Parents spending low time with children

Over parental control

3) Open internet resources (about 48.50 percent)

Illegal access to computer data

Easy access to internet, social media networking sites

Opportunities of online dating, watching, uploading & downloading porn

images and videos

Unprotected internet browsing

Availability of porn/nude sites on web

Availability of wireless internet facilities

4) Unregistered technological devices and equipments (about 43.48 percent)

Unregistered SIM card

Illegal imported cell phone

5) Lack of entertainment facilities (about 39.32 percent)

6) Influence of peer groups (about 38.00 percent)

Peer groups or friends influence

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Desire to maintain social status

Irrational peer competitions for modern technological devices

Relationship breakup

7) Curiosity and technological dependency (about 36.46 percent)

8) Negative cultural impact (about 35.75 percent)

Increasement of extra demand

Negative impact of western cultures

Tendency of mixing foreign culture with domestic one.

Misguiding lucrative offer, publicity & advertisement

Prevalence of imitation Irrational demand

9) Lack of awareness (about 33.41 percent) Unable to measure what is right or wrong Adolescents low control over their expenditure

10) Lack of governmental monitoring & execution of existing laws (about 27percent)

11) Lack of social/religious norm and values (about 23.39 percent) Lack of religious norms and values Lack of social norms and values Moral degradation

12) Lack of cyber/technology security and education (about 21.09 percent) Lack of education related to online or cyber facilities Unawareness of using internet

13) Law enforcements weaknesses (about 18.24 percent) Lack of training among law enforcements Law enforcements unawareness about cyber law and crime Technological weakness among law enforcements

14) Domination of foreign TV channels (about 10.13 percent) More watching Indian movie and serial Dominations of foreign TV channels Abnormal competition among TV Channels or media

15) Competitive corporate market (about 9.10 percent) Low cell phone call rate Cheap facilities of modern communication technologies Cheap price of modern communication technologies

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Graph 23: Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies in Bangladesh(n=137).

4.6. RecommendationsRespondents are also requested to give their suggestive opinion for controlling abuse or

dysfunctional use of different kinds of communication technologies in Bangladesh. They

gave single and multiple answers in response of the question. Following are the priority

basis suggestive measures for controlling dysfunctional use of communication

technologies in Bangladesh (Graph 24).

1. Growing awareness (about 71.15 percent)

Growing public awareness about proper communication technology uses

Awareness campaign program should be started at root level

Develop self control to identify what is right or wrong

2. Taking proper governmental policy measures (about 63.33 percent)

Ensuring registration of unregistered SIM card and cell phone

Cell phone call rate should be at standard level

Banning low call rate

Disconnect illegal internet line

Impose age restriction for using cell phone and social media networking sites

Controlling communication technology devices supply

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Stop Indian TV channels and ensure proper guidelines

Not permit bad foreign languages Movies

Late night special TV or Radio programs should be stopped

Mutual work between government and mobile phone operators must be

strengthen

Sanction on mobile phone operator for doing any bad or harmful activities

3. Controlling internet use and cyber security (about 56.34 percent)

Controlling and monitoring social media networking sites

Filtering nude or porn sites

Pornography censorship

Improve cyber security

Handle cyber crime strictly

Upgrade computer security system

4. Parental & educational supervision and guidelines (about 50.67 percent)

Ensure proper parental supervision and guidance

Engaging children with family affairs

Parental guidance to select good peer groups or friends

Openly discuss about any matter

Motivate children and student positively

5. Entertainment facilities (about 37.44 percent)

Ensuring sufficient entertainment facilities

Playing field games and facilities should be increased

6. Developing morality (about 34.34 percent)

Developing social norms and values

Learning and practicing religious values

7. Execute existing laws (about 25.45 percent)

Deterrent punishment for technology abuser or dysfunctional use

Enact new law for controlling communication technology abuse

Proper implementation of existing law

8. Controlling cell phone operative services (about 21.11 percent)

9. Develop digital culture (about 13 percent)

Develop digital culture

Need proper technological knowledge

10. Technological training for law enforcements (about 9.14 percent)

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Graph 24: Suggestive measures to control abuse of communication technology(n=130)

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5.1. Case Studies

5.1.1. Case Study 1

Mr. B (pseudo name), a young 17 years old and is a student of English medium school.

He is using smart phone since 5 years with two SIM cards as well as now using internet

with the cell phone and broadband internet connected with computer. He has facility of

watching 36″ LED TV with wifi facilities. Through cell phone he communicates with his

friends & family. He learned how to use internet, facebook and you tube from his close

friends. Usually, he talked around 30 minutes and spend 3-4 hours for using internet each

day by the cell phone and broadband internet connection. For these purposes, a total of

1500 taka spent each month. Technologically, he always tries to keep him up to date and

maintain social status with his friend circles. He himself think, guardians are bound to

response his demand as only child of the family. Internet can provide more entertainment

than TV as it has easy access to porn clips and images. He generally access porn hubs at

the late night especially when parents went to bed for sleep. Sharing and watching porn

videos with friends at the school period is a common picture. Sometimes he faces

problem to weak up early at the morning and missed classes many times. In spite of these

problems, passing a single day without cell phone and internet is impossible to him.

CASE STUDIES AND KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS5

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5.1.2. Case Study 2

Ms. H (pseudo name) is a 25 years old girl and a student of master’s degree in a govt.

university. She doing two tuitions for maintains her monthly expenditure and from

tuitions she earned around 5000 taka each month. She has one smart mobile phone with

two SIM cards. She preferred news channels rather than TV serials. But sometimes she

did not watch news for sacrificing time for other family member’s interest. Her monthly

expenditure for using communication technologies is almost 1000 taka. She mainly uses

internet with the smart phone. On an average she spends 1.5 hours each day for the

purposes of talking with family members, relatives and boy friend. Sometimes she

purchased talk time for free offer for talking with boy friend more time at night. Talking

duration rate increased in absence of her guardians at home. For the purposes for

browsing internet she spends two hours every day. She also has experience of giving

threats and using vulgar languages to unknown persons while they disturb her over call

and SMS. Sometimes she gave those disturbing numbers to her cousins and boy friend

for threatening. She also received many affair proposals from unknown persons.

Recently, she made a complaint against an unknown person to the local police for

continuous disturbing her at night. Her own sister is also a victim of cell phone abuse. A

fake facebook ID opened in the name of her sister.

She uses internet mainly at night, but stay logged in with facebook all day and night. She

is very much dependent on using Facebook and watching video on you tube. For the first

time, she watched porn video in the mobile with her boy friend and now it is regular

phenomenon. Some dysfunctional use of cell phone like hearing song and ringtones with

loud volume and using vulgar languages made her very much annoyed. Several of her

friends captured other girl’s sensitive part of the body and feeling happy. In her

community, she has few known husband and wife who are doing adultery through cell

phone.

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5.1.3. Case Study 3

Mr. K (pseudo name), 30 years old, service holder of a renowned private bank. His

monthly income is about 32,000 taka and spends almost 2000 taka for the purposes of

using different patterns of communication technologies. He use internet with the cell

phone and broadband at home and office. For using internet, he spends 3-4 hours daily.

Using internet especially facebook, you tube, online TV, text message etc. are the main

facilities he taking from communication technologies devices. Passing a single day

without smart phone and internet is impossible to him. He even use internet at official

time regularly. He has many unknown friends in his facebook account. Several times, he

chats with them about sexual matters and send love proposal to a woman. In case of cell

phone, he regularly talked with few girls and spent lots of time. Now, he feels

communication technology devices are the only entertainment option and he is very

much dependent on those devices. Few years ago, he was misguided by an advertisement

on sexual problems. He took medicine and use on genetic organ according to their

directions but faced adverse impact and got physically injured. At a result he spent lot of

money for cure. He also experienced mobile fraud in few months ago. A phone call has

come to his mobile from GP number that he has won a lottery prize and for this he has to

send 20,000 taka to him via bKash. But he did not sent after getting advised by friends.

He also has experience of abusing cell phone when he firstly appeared banking diploma

exam one year ago. He has seen many examinees are using cell phone at the exam hall.

He has failed in two subjects at first semester. In the next year he again give exam for

passing those two subjects with the help of cell phone and internet at the exam hall and

got passed finally.

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5.1.4. Case Study 4

Mr. “A” (pseudo name), 25 years, is a master’s degree student of a university. He come

university from a long distance everyday. He uses internet and facebook in the cell phone

to communicate with his friends and family. Cell phone became a part and parcel of is

life and can’t think a day without it. At present he is using three registered SIM cards and

two multimedia sets. He is keeping more SIM cards just to enjoy different data package

offered by the cell phone operators. He usually downloads study materials for different

courses, makes assignments and reports, works for thesis paper, applies for job and

maintains social network with facebook. He used to listening music and FM radio, takes

pictures of important events & notes, maintains daily routine by setting reminder option

in the cell phone. He usually passes 3 to 4 hours for using computer. Sometimes when he

feels boarded, he visited porn sites for recreation. Most of his friends have same

experiences and shared porn movies through pen drive, shareit, wifi, and Bluetooth of

cell phone. His monthly expenses nearly 500 taka just for internet and 300 taka for

communication purposes. All his expenses come from his family. He discovered some

negative tendencies in his life like giving priority talking with opposite sex, sometimes

just to draw attention, maintaining relation with girls or woman at a time, group selfie

mania, feeling excitement for seeing facebook comments, habitually use cell phone

before going to sleep, watch more porn video in the web etc.

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5.1.5. Case Study 5

Mr. P (pseudo name), married, 35 years old is selling SIM card including Flexi load,

various mobile accessories and bKash service since 2010 at Fakirapool, Motijheel area.

He himself uses 3 SIM cards and 2 mobiles for communicating with family members and

business purposes. Watching TV, internet use, browsing facebook and watching online

videos in you tube etc. are the main technological entertainment to him. He is the

authorized SIM card retailer of different mobile operators. Every day, he sells almost 10

SIM cards to the various levels of citizens of the city. In some cases, buyer’s tried to

convince him to buy SIM cards without registration and in many cases buyers express

unwillingness to provide necessary documents including photographs. As a mobile

phone accessories sellers he stated that most of mobile phone users are using multimedia

handsets, especially China set. This type of mobile’s prize is less than other brand

mobile. So, they buying easily and there is a scope of cell phone abuse opportunity

exists, which we can’t deny. It is also experienced, some community members requested

him to give specific girl’s mobile number. In case of bKash service, he is helping

commuters for financial transaction without knowing the source or destination of the

money. On an average 50,000.00 taka transact daily and problem raised when one’s

money sent to another person. Receiving treat over SMS and voice call from unknown

person is the common matter he faced.

5.1.6 Summary Findings of Case Studies

Modern communication technologies specially cell phone and internet became part and

parcel of all aged user’s regular life activities. Without those technologies they cannot

think a day. The study revealed from case respondents that most of the communication

technology users are youths and students. They are spending lots of money for the

purpose of using communication technologies. Its true that modern communication

technologies have so many advantages at this information age. Beside the advantages,

these technologies brought many miseries to the life of communication technology users.

These technologies brought many negative impacts on their personal & family life as

well as have economic, health, psychological problems. Communication technology

became a part and parcel to its users. Many users especially youth aged users think nice

and smart devices is a symbol of status. Most of the case respondents are using smart

phone and internet based communication technology. They expenses on an average

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3000tk. Per month for maintaining those type of technologies as well as spent huge time

(about 3 hours) of a day. About 80 percent of internet users are using social networking

media like facebook in the smart phone and broadband internet connected with PC. They

can get remainder and any notification easily with the help of communication technology

devices. Sharing audios, videos, images, documents, software etc. with each other is a

common phenomenon to the technology users. Most of the case respondents use different

communication technologies for the purposes of personal followed by entertainment and

educational purposes. These communication technological dependencies derivates them

into dysfunctional use and instigate deviant and criminal activities. Case respondents

especially youths are experienced abusive use of communication technologies in their

life and others commuters of their living or working area in the city. Some respondents

said that smart phone is the only way to communicate with their boy/girl friend

especially at night and this call duration increased while their guardians sleep or absence

at the house. Some of them were experienced physical illness and missed schedule class

routine and regular activities due to long time talking at night. Social media network like

facebook and cell phone became only entertainment option to them. Even they use

facebook during class period. Some of them opened fake E-mail and facebook ID for

hiding themselves. Most of the youth and adult case respondents watch, keep and share

nude pictures and porn videos in their smart phone and broadband connected PC. Other

forms of communication technology based criminal activities are illegal use in

examination, fraud/ cheating, hacking/spreading virus and publishing or sharing fake or

controversial report/video/photo etc. for bad intention etc. Some of them said that they

searched women’s cell phone number for making love. They also said, some of their

relatives and community members are doing adultery with the help of cell phone. As a

result few of them got physical punishment by the husband’s family and lastly declared

divorced.

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5.2. Key Informant Interviews

Five key informant interviews were conducted for retrieving various aspects of

communication technology, modernization and social dysfunction; communication


dysfunction in Bangladesh and policy recommendations for controlling dysfunctional use

of communication technologies by the users.

5.2.1. Criminologist

According to criminologist cellular phone and internet are the major communication

technology systems running in Bangladesh. Talking, texting, voice & audio chatting, e-

mailing, browsing, e-commerce, entertainment, educational information sharing etc. are

the major facilities/services those taking by the communication technology users from

communication technology devices. At present all socio-economic classes’ people are

using modern communication technologies with exception of internet users confined to

the middle through upper classes. Communication technologies are not the symbols but

essential ingredients of Modernization. They are associate with antisocial and deviant

behaviors and also used as facilitators of crime and violence in Bangladesh. As the

number of communication technology users and diversity of users are increasing, the

number of cyber crimes, technology based crimes and deviant activities occurring at

present days in Bangladesh.

These types of criminal activities are concentrated in the cities and towns than rural

areas. These technologies facilitate the potential offenders to engage in crimes but not

the causes of crime. If these technologies are used for watching sexual videos etc. these

can lead to motivate to involve in crime and as a result adultery, suicide, divorce and

family disharmony rate might be increased due to abuse of communication technologies

devices. In recent years some job seekers and students used these technologies in their

admission test for illegal purposes. And in some cases it is reported in the newspaper that

criminals are using communication technology devices for organizing criminal activities

even from staying inside the prison.

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Communication technologies especially electronic media and social networking sites are

using as easy tools for spreading rumors, propaganda and political purposes serving

medium. Cyber stalking, teasing, threatening, pornography, hacking, piracy etc. are the

most common type of communication technology devices based crime and deviance

occurring in Bangladesh.

There have many social, cultural, economic and political impacts of communication

technology based dysfunction in Bangladesh. Social value system affecting, social

intuitions are classifying roles, sky culture and violence driven movies affecting our kids,

huge economic loss for the cost of crime, abuse of social media like Rammu tragedy,

political violence and conflict may occur for the abuse of these technology devices. Peer

influence, drug addiction, poverty, unemployment, easy access to phone and internet

among the young people are the major instigating factor of abusing communication

technologies and young people (aged 18-35 years) are mostly abusing communication

technologies.

Lack of supervision and parental control over kids, lack of teacher’s supervisions and

regulation, not maintaining proper registration system by the mobile phone operators, not

properly implementing laws by the law enforcements etc. are mostly liable to abuse

communication technologies. Proper parental supervision and guidance can ensure

proper use of communication technology. In family level kids will learn what is right or

wrong, what is appropriate or not, and focus on their study, learn values and norms that

make them good people in future. At the legal and institutional level proper

implementation of laws regarding registration, identification & verification by the

service providers, proper justice for the victims and punishing the criminals etc. can

combat communication technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh?

The key security actors are looking after to address the problem of abuse of

communication technologies. The state security and monitoring sector is not doing well

and there have rooms for improvement. There is no nation that can deal with the

problems without relationship among different stakeholders. Police, educational

institutions, municipal/local governments etc. and stakeholders need to be united under

one office. There are some challenges the law enforcing and monitoring agencies are

facing during controlling abuse of communication technologies including issues with the

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evidence act, still not adequate laws for using technology based evidence sources in the

justice system, lack of technology evidence collection, lack trained investigators, lack of

policies and lack of awareness among security forces and law enforcements.

5.2.2. Sociologist

According to Sociologist, the use of communication technologies are extended in various

fields like business, officials’ activities, study purposes and communications with family

members, friends, girls or boyfriends etc. But unfortunately, these technologies are being

abused more than proper use. For the technological innovation, crime patterns are

changed and the notable crime resulted from abuses of these technologies phone are

threat, extortion, cyber crime etc. Besides these various new forms of crimes are

remerging due to excessive abuse of cell phone in Bangladesh.

There are many bad impacts are present for both excessive use and abuse of cell phone at

family and social life. These are: nature of crime is changing, family and social bonding

becoming weaker, adultery and divorce rate are increasing, speaking lying rate is

increasing etc. Now a day, cell phone using became one kind fashion especially among

the young generation and kids. Kids mostly like playing games, chatting and browsing

internet through cell phone (multimedia). Sometimes parents are bound to give cell

phone to their teenage children due to present environment of the country. Teenaged

children’s behavior with family members, friends and teachers are being changed for

using cell phone. Parents had to spent a huge money for using cell phone and

expenditure regarding cell phone including continuous flexi load, internet fee etc. Now

our modern society became facebook based and we are facing huge cultural variation.

According to them, there are some factors exists in our society those are increasing cell

phone abuse. These are: there are some bad people who write cell phone number of

others on Taka, seats of vehicle or on wall; collect number from facebook or other free

websites; collecting number from flexi or refill shop; provide number to other friends or

relatives for threaten etc. For excessive use of cell phone physical outcome/visible rate

decreased than previous period. Interaction between children and parents (children’s visit

at home) decreased due to use of cell phone.

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Bangladesh is a developing country with huge population. Many first develop countries

always try to attract the business market of Bangladesh and cell phone business is one of

them lucrative business. They always try to catch mobile market through various

lucrative business and clients opportunities to sell cultural goods like cell phone. They

also provide various opportunities in the period Ramadan, Eid and other festivals and

occasions.

To control cell phone abuse, government as well as mobile phone operators along with

citizens can take following initiatives: must ensure proper registration of SIM card and

indentifying fake SIM card, one man one SIM card and one mobile, cell phone users will

be above 18+ years old, ensure original voter ID card and character certificate for buying

SIM card, proper monitoring of callers information/transparent voice recording system,

specific law on cell phone/internet/cyber crime is very essentials and lastly, government

have to show behave as a responsible state.

5.2.3. Psychologist

From the psychological point of view Human child becomes the adult man. His

mentality also develops with the growing of physical size, learns from environment,

experience the situation he faces and become socialized through the process of

socialization. Learning is a process which is initiated by the family from the early age of

a human child. As they grow their mental health and mind setup also develops. When

their mind remains simple and uncomplicated to believe everything they see, feel,

experience and makes the foundation of their mental growth. Now a day’s cell phone is a

gadget of communication. The persons of underworld, terrorist, evil man, drug supplier

anyone could use cell phone for their own benefit or to lead antisocial activities. Even it

is heard that the terrorists, mastans, extortionists manage and supervise their activities

even locked in jails or remained imprisoned via cell phone.

Psychological trait is the cause of crime and deviance. This trait refers to extroversion or

introversion, dominance of submission, self-confidence or its absence etc. In this case,

Emotional interaction of a child within the family can be mentioned. Inappropriate way

of socialization process within the family, a child can show deviant behavior and which

can instigate crime in future. They can be crazy for cell phone and being abused by cell

phone and become a victim. A child requires a close & continuous relationship with its

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primary caregiver up to the age of about 5. Affectionless character might lead to

delinquent behavior. A person’s deviant activity and crime can be determined by

temperament & environment.

There are some Humanistic Psychological Factors by which human being are motivated

by a hierarchy of basic needs. They are physiological (food, water and procreational

sex); safer (security, stability, freedom from fear, anxiety, chaos); belongingness and

love (friendship, love, affection, acceptance); esteem (self-esteem and the esteem of

others) and self-actualization (being true to one’s nature, becoming everything that one is

capable of becoming). With these humanistic psychological factors, communication

technologies have some links. Through these technologies one can make love,

friendship, sex etc and one can also be victimized for using it. So, if anyone has weak

mind set up or weak social interaction, then cell phone might be abused by him/her.

Excessive use of facebook and other social networking media accelerating social, family

and psychology oriented problems. The technology abusers are forgetting everything.

They are becoming fat due to not playing games or exercise. The state of their physical

and mental health breaking down and many problems are creating like loss of appetite,

depression, physical disabilities, eye problems, losing short temper, ferocious mind,

nerve problems, get involvement in early affairs etc. For these reasons they are becoming

unable to maintain study schedule as well as losing social norms and values. Many

students are doing bad result in the examination for abusing those technologies.

At present time, many guardians and parents are coming to us for seeking help and

guidelines for their facebook addicted children. Though drivers are well aware about the

danger of using cell phone during driving, many of the doing so and it is very risky than

the normal rate. Many drivers think text messaging & calling with touching vehicle

steering is very easy, but they don’t know their mind reside very reaction mode to the

matters. In this matter dopamine hormone started to work and when some indecision

related matters comes to his/her mind then accident might be occurred.

The new technology, vast media, internet, social network etc couldn’t be blamed. For

example flower contains both honey and toxic. But the bee collects honey and the spider

collects toxic according to their needs. So it is the choice of their (present generation)

owns whether to collect or learn the good things or bad. It is the duty of teachers,

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guardians and society to teach them the right things thus they become able to decide or

select the right things.

There are some specific issues and factors of abusing cell phone in Bangladesh. It is like,

if we unable to play the prefect role at right time and right place, we have to face many

unexpected problems like cell phone abuse. In the absence of responsible state and

family life, domination of western economy, education, and culture are now pandemic

disease in our own systems. The develop countries are working with our psychology and

made us dependent on them and being caught by bad western culture.

There are some initiative and security measures can control abuse of communication

technology in Bangladesh including encouragements of morality and ethics; presentation

of example with real activities and exposure of role model is must; education policy and

teaching system should be enough to support the student’s basic need with modern

world; vocational education should be further developed for industrial development and

higher education should be according to the demand of the country that will help to

remove unemployment problems; good interaction, understanding and controlling power

of BTTB over cell phone Operator Company should be strong and effective; registration

of all SIM card, SIM card dealer and retailer, should be must by verified information; all

information of every single cell phone user should be collected, and if any abuse

happened they must be pursued and be kept under law; database should be maintained by

verified information with socio economic background of all SIM card holder (or against

a number) and that should be maintained by a specially empowered authority, and if

necessary those information should also being made accessible to BTTB and law

enforcers who can file any complain against a number, co-ordinate him, track his

position and investigate him and if found guilty the person should be made judged and

punished according to law in a short span of time; These authority should be very

efficient and transparent to their duty, in practicing their power and the system or

proceedings should be made easy for all people and to do this regarding law should be

very updated with the very changing information and communication technology and

electronics to solve the interaction problem among BTTB, Cell Phone Operator

Company, Police and Cell Phone User in a legal framework; the vigilance of this

authority is very important for deterrence effect on society; ensure to establish the rule of

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law and justice in every aspect of society from child education, their moral development,

to state governing policy and politics of politician.

5.2.4. IT Expert

This Dhaka city kept our children in like custody where communication technology like

facebook is one kind of window for them. This is being used by the school students and

in course of being older they making boyfriend or girlfriend. In this age they don’t have

enough capacity to choose right things and increase probability of being victimized. The

young generation is abusing these communication devices rather than educational

purposes. At present it is not necessary to use facebook in the computer or laptop. Now

its possible with cheap rated hand set and at a result its using there and there. Many

students use facebook after morning rise to sleep at night even they use facebook,

chatting etc at class period. So, where is their concentration for study? Many children are

reluctant to add their parents as friend in the facebook for avoiding them. But it is

necessary to stay in touch with them for supervision so that their children’s mind cannot

go in wrong way. In this case parents have much role to play. Within very short time

Bangladesh has 2.5 crore facebook users where most of them about 90 percent are under

25 years old. Facebook is necessary, it should not be stopped and government has to take

initiative to filtering facebook, twiter and youtube contents, grow much awareness

among the people, age restriction for using facebook might be applied until develop

digital culture in the country.

Now a days facebook is using as tool of cyber crime and facebook spam using for that

purposes. Sometimes facebook users seen some beautiful unknown girls’ picture on

friend’s timeline, request of donation for children, winning a lottery, easy income

opportunity etc. and when a user or friend like and click on the link he/she might be felt

in trouble. These type of post are cyber hackers designed malwares and able to steal

personal information as well. It would be better to avoid such kind of posts and can be

followed some facebook use related security measures like never click on star related

rumor posts like breaking news!, hidden news (gopon khobor, gomor phas), hidden

information leaked, rear news (adaler khobor); don’t be excited after seeing any

breaking news because it could be malware. For clear and true information Google

search engine can be used; do not like any like demanded post. A facebook user can

verify whatever he likes past to go through activity logs option; keep away from clicking

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on food or diet advised related posts; don’t click on fake news websites. Here a facebook

user can use authentic and reputed newspapers websites to avoid big troubles and avoid

any facebook gift card because this type of prize winning malware want personal

information and there is a possibility to download virus in your computer

5.2.5. Law enforcement

RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) and Police officials of Dhaka Metropolitan area

mentioned that cell phone is the most essential component to all age group people. But

this cell phone also the cause of various patterns of crime in Bangladesh. According to

law enforcement officials extortion threats through phone calls using various name has

seen a spectacular rise over the last few months with middle class head of families being

the prime target. Hardcore criminals mainly target businessmen and other high officials.

Threat complains mostly come from residential area of the city like Uttara, Gulshan,

Dhanmondi etc.

Each day many complaints lodged in to the different unit of police and RAB due to

disturb, threat, in boxing bad comments & pictures and teasing in the social networking

media and among these teasing female is notable. Law enforcements receive 70 such

complaints on an average every day. After getting complains both police and RAB

investigate the matter and try to apprehend the criminals. But, in some cases victims are

unwilling to file case against criminals and in some cases they try to resolve the matter

themselves. Those who abuse the social networking media, most of them use fake ID and

few are abusing from abroad. For these problems most of them are remain untouched.

Law enforcement agencies are aware about the dysfunctional use of communication

technologies and cyber crime. For an instance, identification and apprehend of spreading

communal hate through publishing fake picture of torturing rohinga muslims in the

facebook.

Meanwhile, law enforcers stated, the biggest barrier to tracking these criminals is the

large number of unregistered mobile phones still out in the market. Law enforcement

officials say, that the first step to dealing with this situation is not panic. ‘Most people

switch off their phones or change their numbers and sit tight. RAB and Police said that

they were failed to trace offenders in ninety percent cases due to user’s fake registration.

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Bangladesh police and RAB are now more capable to identifying criminals and their

locations by tracking criminal’s devices. They also mentioned, it is possible to identify

the criminal but it requires time to identify his location technologically. Both technical

devices and informants have to apply to track such criminals. They cite the success of the

tele-tapping process through the apprehension of JMB kingpins Shaikh Abdur Rahman

and Bangla Bhai (Siddiqul Islam) by law enforcers and a incident of Pichi Hannan, a

pseudonym of the godfather in Ramna area, the heart of Dhaka was caught with evidence

and related clues from a cell phone left in the crime scene.

According to them unregistered SIM card, using excessive number of cell phone and

SIM by single user, cell phone use by bellow 18 years, adultery by the women whose

husband living in abroad, enmity of one another are the main issues for abusing cell

phone in Bangladesh. Earlier, victims were asked to wait at a point on the street and a

street urchin was sent to him to collect the parcel containing money but this has failed

after police got hold of a few criminals in this way. Over the years the extortionists have

adopted innovative methods of collecting extortion money. Police receive many

complaints of phone threat every month and so many are remaining unreported. The first

step to dealing with this situation is not panic. Most people switch off their phones or

change their numbers and sit tight. This might not be the best technique all the time as

the extortionist realizes how scared you are. It is best to inform police once receive the

first call. It is possible to identify the criminal but it requires time to identify his location

technologically. Both technical devices and informants have to apply to track such

criminals. Meanwhile, law enforcers say, the biggest barrier to tracking these criminals is

the large number of unregistered mobile phones still out in the market. The criminals are

using Spoofing software (a fun software) for committing most of the mobile related

fraud. In this case, if any person gets mobile fraud call or SMS, he/she can primarily

maintain some guidelines like: don’t feel nervous and stay normal after getting such kind

of abnormal call/SMS from unknown; after finishing the call or cut off the call, redial the

same number for justification, if the call is internet/technology based redial call would

not be possible; informing the matter to the police as soon as possible; doing GD can

play a vital role for proper investigation.

Proper use of ICT act, parental and institutional supervision, practicing norms and

values, banning all unregistered SIM card, technological development of law enforcers,

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best to inform law enforcers after receiving the first threat call and growing more public

awareness and morality against cell phone use etc. can control communication

technology abuse.

5.2.6 Summary Findings of Key Informant Interviews

Modern communication technologies are blessed of modern science to us. It’s using field

is vast and at present all socio-economic classes’ people are using modern

communication technologies with exception of internet users confined to the middle

through upper classes in Bangladesh. Communication technologies are not the symbols

but essential ingredients of Modernization. Within very short time Bangladesh has 2.5

crore facebook users, where most of them about 90 percent are under 25 years old. These

technologies facilitate the potential offenders to engage in crimes but not the causes of

crime. They are associate with antisocial and deviant behaviors and also used as

facilitators of crime and violence in Bangladesh. For the technological innovation, crime

patterns are changed and the notable crime resulted from abuses of these technologies are

threat, extortion, cyber crime etc. According to law enforcement officials extortion

threats through phone calls using various name has seen a spectacular rise over the last

few months with middle class head of families being the prime target. Each day many

complaints lodged in to the different unit of police and RAB due to disturb, threat, in

boxing bad comments & pictures and teasing in the social networking media. Law

enforcements receive 70 such complaints on an average every day. Hardcore criminals

mainly target businessmen and other high officials. Threat complains mostly come from

residential area of the city like Uttara, Gulshan, Dhanmondi etc.

From social and psychological point of view, psychological trait is the cause of crime

and deviance. This trait refers to extroversion or introversion, dominance of submission,

self-confidence or its absence etc. There is also having some humanistic psychological

factors (physiological, safer, belongingness and love, esteem and self-actualization) by

which human being are motivated by a hierarchy of basic needs. With these humanistic

psychological factors, communication technologies have some links. Even though

drivers are well aware about the danger of using cell phone during driving, many of the

doing so and it is very risky than the normal rate. Inappropriate way of socialization

process within the family and lack of supervision and parental control over kids a child

can show deviant behavior and which can instigate crime in future. Peer influence, drug

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addiction, poverty, unemployment, easy access to phone and internet among the young

people are the major instigating factor of abusing communication technologies. If these

technologies are used for watching sexual videos or entertainment purposes only these

can lead to motivate to involve in crime and as a result adultery, suicide, divorce and

family disharmony & speaking lying rate might be increased. Social value system

affecting, social intuitions are classifying roles, sky culture and violence driven movies

affecting our kids, huge economic loss for the cost of crime, abuse of social media like

Rammu tragedy, political violence and conflict may occur for the abuse of these

technology devices. The state of technology abusers physical and mental health breaking

down and many problems are creating like loss of appetite, depression, physical

disabilities, eye problems, losing short temper, ferocious mind, nerve problems, get

involvement in early affairs etc. For these reasons they are becoming unable to maintain

study schedule as well as losing social norms and values. Many students are doing bad

result in the examination for abusing those technologies.

Day by day the rate communication technology related crime and deviance occurring

increasingly for so many unregistered SIM card, devices and fake IDs etc. According to

law enforcements, they were failed to trace offenders in ninety percent cases due to

user’s fake registration. The best option to deal with the situation is to not get panic.

Informing law enforcements in right time and doing GD can help apprehend the

criminals as well as in proper investigation. Beside these, unfortunately the people of

underdeveloped countries welcome the negative sides of modern culture more than the

positive things like sincerity to duties. To protect our young generation, government has

to take initiative to filtering facebook, twiter and youtube contents, growing awareness

among the people, age restriction for using facebook might be applied until develop

digital culture in the country. Proper parental supervision and guidance can ensure proper

use of communication technology. In family level kids will learn what is right or wrong,

what is appropriate or not, and focus on their study, learn values and norms that make

them good people in future. At the legal and institutional level proper implementation of

laws regarding registration, identification & verification by the service providers, proper

justice for the victims and punishing the criminals etc. can combat communication

technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh.

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The study objectives were to investigate different aspects of communication technology,

modernization and social dysfunction; communication technology based crime &

deviance; its causes & consequences relating social dysfunction in Bangladesh. From the

findings of survey, case studies, KIIs and literature review the study found some

significant issues and factors which are tends to recommend on controlling cell phone

abuse.

6.1. Demographic features of communication technology users in Bangladesh

It is found from the study that male, single and youths (20-30 years of age) are using

different types of communication technologies in Bangladesh. Most of the users’

occupation is students, completed graduation degree and monthly income range is 0-

5000 taka. In case of resident status, most of communication technology users are

migrants and living in rented house/flat at the study area. Though most of the users using

one cell phone and one E-mail ID, they have at least 2 SIM cards at a time.

Most of the communication technology users are maintaining expenditure from their own

income whose monthly expenditure level is 200-500 taka. Majority of the respondents’

cell phone talk time duration is above 36 minutes, passing time for internet use is above

2 hours and duration of watching/hearing TV/radio is 01-60 min per day. For the

purposes of using communication technologies, on an average a user is spending more

than 3 hours per day.

6.2. Purposes of using communication technology

Among different types of communication technologies cell phone is being used mostly

for the purposes of personal use and entertainment. Following are different facilities

those users are taking from modern communication technologies:

1) Cell phone: Talking, internet browsing, some beneficial services like setting

alerting, breaking news, alarm etc, hearing F.M radio, news/music etc. and

playing games.

FINDINGS OF DISCUSSION6

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2) Internet: Using social networking sites like facebook, twitter and blogs, E-mail,

watching/downloading online videos/audios, browsing and watching online TV

channels.

3) TV/Radio: Watching/hearing song/drama/serial/natok/movie, news and some

kind of special program.

6.3. Communication technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh

It is revealed from the study that communication technology users are more involved in

different types (cell phone/land phone, internet and TV/radio) of communication

technology based deviant activities rather than criminal activities. They also witnessed

other individual, community members or strangers’ involvement in communication

technology based deviant activities followed by criminal activities. The study also found

that students and 20-30 years age group of users (youths) are more involved in both

deviant and criminal activities than the other group of users and searching entertainment

is the most important factor of their involvement in such kind of deviant or criminal

activities.

6.3.1. Cell phone based deviant activities

Habitually unnecessary use before going to sleep

Speaking/hearing song loudly over phone

Playing ringtones without cause

Excessive playing games

Late night talking regularly

Disturbing someone through call/missed call/SMS/MMS

Excessive browsing mobile internet

Talking over phone or browsing internet not following privacy

Giving unusual pose for taking selfie or showing abnormal behavior in the

name of selfie

Create pressure on family for buying new cell phone

Spreading rumors for self interest

Practicing dishonesty or talking lie over phone

Using cell phone at the class/meeting or cell phone prohibited places.

Thinking cell phone as only entertainment option in life

Thinking cell phone or smart devices as a symbol of social status.

117

6.3.2. Internet based deviant activities

Passing excessive time in the social networking media like facebook, twitter,

blogs etc.

Watch and download porn videos and photos

Uploading and posting nude videos and photos

Using or opening fake account for bad intention

Attempt to cyber theft or hacking

Spreading virus for curiosity

Giving false information in the web

Meaningless chatting with friends

Sending odd website links to the known subscribers/friends

Enjoying ‘porn’ websites very much than other sites.

Sharing more about yourself in the web

Logged in facebook after few times and again without any cause

Showing abnormal behavior for adding someone as friend

Using artificial user name in the social media sites instead of real name

Feeling excitement after seeing new post notifications

Giving status about every location of yourself

Using facebook silently during official time

Tendency to add unknown persons as friend to increase the number of facebook

friends

Suddenly checking facebook status after weak up from sleep at night

6.3.3. TV/Radio based deviant activities

Not maintaining time schedule, food habit, study period etc.

Watch Television/hear radio abnormally

Showing abnormal behavior following Television/radio artist character

Craziness about foreign/western cultures

Showing rude attitude or feeling bad for missing any favorite TV

program/serial

6.3.4. Communication technology based criminal activities

Threatening

Keeping/sharing porn videos in cell phone/computers

Illegal use in examination

Eve teasing

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Cyber stalking

Cyber theft

Fraud/cheating

Record secret moments without permission

Talking over cell phone during driving

Organizing criminal activity

Hacking/spreading virus

Publishing fake or controversial report/video/photo etc. in the web for bad

intention

Opening fake account for heinous purposes

Broadcasting indecent advertisement

Tracking someone without permission

6.4. Impacts of communication technology and modernization based dysfunction inBangladesh.

The study found that incidences of different patterns of communication technology and

modernization’s related dysfunctions are accelerating for abusing communication

technologies. In this regard, respondents are opined about social, cultural, economic,

health, political, environmental and psychological dysfunctions in Bangladesh.

6.4.1. Social dysfunction

Increasing cyber crime

Increasing cyber stalking

Increasing disinterest in study of students

Decreases student’s academic performance

Decrease face to face communication skill

Increasing sexual abuse/verbal abuse

Losing family intimacy

Increasing adultery rate

Increasing separation rate

Increasing divorce rate

Increasing children marriage rate

Increasing pre marital sexual relations

Increasing rape/gang rape rate

119

Increasing delinquency rate

Increasing fraudgery

Increasing suicide tendency rate

Losing social norms & values

Decrease cohesion of social relation

Both guardians and users are facing economic loss

Increasing dishonesty practice

6.4.2. Cultural dysfunction

Own culture is being misguided by other/western cultures

Unable to retain own culture

Increasing demand of extra need

Increasing prevalence of imitation

Increasing dependency rate

Losing religious norms and values

6.4.3. Economic dysfunction

Prevalence of increased expenditure

Additional load to maintain unlimited demand of family members

Users are being motivated or misguided by irrational corporate competition

Excessive domination of foreign technologies

Creating problem in potential manpower

6.4.4. Health related dysfunction

Late morning rise

Facing Ear/hearing or eye problem

Feeling Insomnia and sleepiness in day time

Sensing physical illness

Change of food habit

Malfunction of genital organ

Less beautification

Becomes fatty for avoiding exercise and games

Feeling back pain

Feeling bad headache

Imbalance of weight

120

6.4.5. Political dysfunction

Increasing political defamation/false publicity in the social media websites.

Creating religious furore/rage in the social media websites.

Spreading propaganda and rumor in the social media websites.

Organizing criminal/deviant activities with the help of communication devices.

Ill motive campaign at the websites.

6.4.6. Environmental dysfunction

Destroying natural biodiversity

Increasing Environmental and Noise pollution

6.4.7. Psychological dysfunction

Suffered from depression, stressed, mental illness and breakdown.

Increased temperament/emotion/excitement

Became a Traumatized victim

Become extremely lazy

Sacrificing own normal life for virtual life

Thinking life is impossible without facebook or cell phone

Thinking cell phone and internet are the sole option for entertainment and these

smart devices are the symbol of social status.

Feeling loneliness and thinking about own fault

Comparing yourself with others and feelings jealous others

6.5. Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies in Bangladesh

1) Abuse of social networking media sites

2) Lack of family and institutional control and supervision

3) Open internet resources/easy access to internet

4) Unregistered technological devices and equipments

5) Lack of entertainment facilities

6) Influence of peer groups

7) Curiosity and technological dependency

8) Negative cultural impact

9) Lack of awareness

10) Lack of governmental monitoring & execution of existing laws

11) Lack of social/religious norm and values

12) Lack of cyber/technology security and education

121

13) Law enforcements weaknesses

14) Domination of foreign TV channels

15) Irrational competitive corporate market

122

16)

7.1 Conclusions

We are living in the information age where a communication technological device like

cell phone and internet are not just modern technology but also used for making calls,

video calls, sending text messages as well as in these devices users can use many

features like operating system, facebook, you tube, third-party apps and user interface,

reminder of important tasks, calendar, online libraries, dictionaries and so many more. It

acts like small entertainment box. Overall, it is arguably true that people tend to "take the

easiest route," thereby becoming more dependent on technology. At present all socio-

economic classes’ people are using modern communication technologies with exception

of internet users confined to the middle through upper classes. Within very short time

Bangladesh has 2.5 crore facebook users, where most of them about 90 percent are under

25 years old. Young people (aged 18-35 years) are mostly abusing communication

technologies. As the number of communication technology users and diversity of users

are increasing, the number of cyber crimes, technology based crimes and deviant

activities occurring at present days in Bangladesh. These technologies facilitate the

potential offenders to engage in crimes but not the causes of crime. They are associate

with antisocial and deviant behaviors and also used as facilitators of crime and violence

in Bangladesh.

For the technological innovation, crime patterns are changed and the notable crime

resulted from abuses of these technologies are cyber crime, cyber stalking, demanding

extortion, eve-teasing, threatening, illegal use in examination, organizing criminal

activity etc. Dysfunctional uses of these technologies have many bad impacts on our

personal life, social norms and values, cultural, economic, politics and environment.

Inappropriate way of socialization process within the family, a child can show deviant

behavior and which can instigate crime in future. They can be crazy for cell phone and

being abused by cell phone and become a victim. Lack of supervision and parental

control over kids, lack of teacher’s supervisions and regulation, not maintaining proper

registration system by the mobile phone operators, not properly implementing laws by

the law enforcements etc. are mostly liable to abuse communication technologies. Peer

7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

123

influence, drug addiction, poverty, unemployment, easy access to phone and internet

among the young people are the major instigating factor of abusing communication

technologies. There also have some other instigating factors for abusing communication

technologies like writing cell phone numbers on currency (taka), seats of vehicle or on

wall; collect number from facebook or other free websites; collecting number from flexi

or refill shop; provide number to other friends or relatives for threaten etc.

If these technologies are used for entertainment purposes only these can lead to motivate

to involve in deviance and crime and as a result adultery, suicide, divorce and family

disharmony & speaking lying rate might be increased. Social value system affecting,

social intuitions are classifying roles, sky culture and violence driven movies affecting

our kids, huge economic loss for the cost of crime, abuse of social media, political

violence and conflict are occurring for the abuse of these technology devices. Teenaged

children’s behavior with family members, friends and teachers are being changed,

interaction between children and parents (children’s visit at home) decreased due to use

of cell phone. Parents had to spent a huge money for using cell phone and expenditure

regarding cell phone including continuous flexi load, internet fee etc.

The state of their physical and mental health breaking down and many problems are

creating like loss of appetite, depression, physical disabilities, eye problems, losing short

temper, ferocious mind, nerve problems, get involvement in early affairs etc. For these

reasons they are becoming unable to maintain study schedule as well as losing social &

religious norms and values. Many students are doing bad result in the examination for

abusing those technologies. Dysfunctional use of modern communication technologies

can bring many miseries to us and that’s why now it’s a matter of deep concern to

everybody. Cell phone, internet, facebook and other communication technologies are

necessary for present days and these should not be stopped. Government along with

others has to take initiative to stop and control dysfunctional use of modern

communication technologies and to develop proper digital culture in the country.

124

7.2. Recommendations

The study revealed that teenage and youth age group of communication technology users

are the most vulnerable/risk groups for dysfunctional use of those technologies. Around

90 percent of technology users are belonging under 30 years of age. So, many teenagers,

youths as well as adults are involved in deviant and criminal activities. Teenagers and

youths related abuse of communication technology control mostly concerned with their

parents and educational institutions supervisions and guidelines. As a whole

governmental policy level activities and initiatives can ensure proper use guidelines,

execution & enactment of new laws, monitoring and controlling whole communication

technology system. The following recommendations might be taken by government

along with others concerned bodies to stop and control dysfunctional use of modern

communication technologies as well as to develop proper digital culture in the country.

1) Awareness and learning regarding proper communication technological use should

be increased through different campaigns and programs stating at root level. People

should know how this technology can be used for their betterment.

2) Government should be technologically self sufficient to protect and fight against

cyber crime and SIM cloning call from unknown sources. Ensuring technological

and cyber crime related training and logistics supports for law enforcements can

make them efficient to deal with the matters.

3) Controlling and monitoring different mobile banking that these services cannot be

used as a medium of terror/criminal financing.

4) Government has to provide meaningful instruction to its service providers, users,

and other stakeholders time to time so that none can able to mistreat it as well as

increase moral and ethical standard of these technology users.

5) The competitive environment in this market should be free and fair. All

organizations should get competitive facilities so that they can take it to the peak. If

that is possible, the government will get maximum revenue and the public will

enjoy superior services.

6) It’s a matter of deep concern that domestic violence and other forms of crime and

deviance are increasing for abusing these modern technologies. So, BTRC should

take quick initiative to use national ID card number and E-mail ID in case of

125

opening new Facebook/twitter/blogs etc. accounts and bring all unregistered SIM

cards and devices under proper registration system.

7) Censorship in case of surfing porn or vulgar websites or social media sites can be

imposed like other develops countries.

8) Criminals/accused/convict and examinee/students should not allow to keep/use

communication technological devices in the secured area, like prison and

examination or class room.

9) Recently criminals used internet communication technologies like viber, imo,

whatsapp, tengu etc. for organizing criminal activities. So these services should be

monitored deeply and if necessary, should be stopped temporally to resolve any

crisis situation.

10) Government has to think and monitor that does some Indian channel really creating

problem in our domestic culture or social dysfunctions or not? If some channel or

TV programs doing so, these should be stooped.

11) Family and educational institutions can be prime and primary steps for ensuring

proper cyber education and to motivate and build awareness for proper use of

communication technologies. Ensuring good relation and understanding between

parents and children, teachers and students can establish trust, openness and

feelings sharing among themselves.

12) Ensure sufficient recreation facilities that the users cannot think smart devices and

internet are the only entertainment option.

13) Practicing moral, social, religious norms and values at family, social and

institutional level can enrich moral psychology and security.

14) Communication technology users have to aware, learn and follow cyber security

options, tools and guidelines to avoid cyber crime and harassments. If such things

happen, doing GD and informing the matter to the police as soon as possible can

play a vital role for proper investigation and to get rid of the situation.

15) Government and law enforcements have to execute present cyber laws and

communication technology related laws properly. Indecent advertisement and

publication can misguided a user and as a result users might be sufferers. If

necessary, government can enact new laws or update existing laws for proper use

of communication technologies.

126

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http://news.zoombangla.com/technology/.

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http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/deviance/section1.rhtml

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Social_Deviance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSSf4QgiRhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpKRDPnTKs

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APPENDICES

Appendix 01: Survey Questionnaire

Thesis Title: Communication Technology and Modernization’s Impact on Social

Dysfunction in Bangladesh: Addressing Remedial Measures

Study Purpose: This study is being undertaken for obtaining M.Phil degree from

University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This study aims to investigate different aspects of

communication technology, modernization and social dysfunction; communication


dysfunction in Bangladesh. The study covered 150 communication technology users in

the Dhaka City and you had been selected one of the respondents.

Ethical Issue: All the information below will be used for research purposes only and the

respondent’s identity will be kept in secret.

Respondent’s ID:

Section A: Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

1. Sex of the respondent.

1) Male 2) Female

2. Respondent’s age.

3. Respondent’s age group.

1) 13-19 Years 2) 20-30 Years 3) 31-Above

4. Marital Status of the Respondent.

1) Single 2) Married 3) Others

5. Education level of the respondents.

1) Illiterate 2) Primary 3) S.S.C 4) H.S.C /Diploma 5) Graduation

6. Occupation of the Respondents.

1) Unemployed/House Wife 2) Student 3) Wage Earner

4) Govt./Private Service Holder 5) Businessman

7. Monthly income of the respondents.

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8. Monthly income level of the respondent.

1) 0-5000 BDT 2) 5001-10,000 BDT 3) 10,001-15,000 BDT

4) 15,001 BDT – Above

9. Resident status.

1) Migrant Resident 2) Permanent Resident

10. Respondent’s living place.

1) Hall/ Mess 2) Own house/Flat 3) Rented house/Flat 4) Others (Specify)……

Section B: Different aspects of communication technology, modernization andsocial dysfunction in Bangladesh

11. Type of communication technology you use most (Priority basis).

1) Cell phone/Land Phone 2) Internet 3) Radio/Television

12. What kind of communication do you do with such technologies (Priority basis)?

1) Personal 2) Official 3) Educational 4) Entertainment

5) Others (Specify)………..

13. Taking facilities from Cell Phone (Priority basis).

1) Talking 2) Internet Browsing 3) Playing Games 4) Others ………

14. Taking facilities from Broadband/other service Internet (Priority basis).

1) Simply browsing 2) Use social network sites & Blogs 3) E-mail

4) Watching/downloading online videos/audios 5) Others (Specify)……………….

15. Taking facilities from Radio/Television (Priority basis).

1) News 2) Song/Drama/serial/Natok/movie 3) Special Program

4) Others (Specify)………………..

16. Number of cell phone, SIM card and E-mail ID you used.

SL Category Number Code Number16.1 Cell phone 1) 1 2) 2 3) Above 216.2 SIM Card 1) 1 2) 2 3) Above 216.3 E-Mail ID 1) 1 2) 2 3) Above 2

17. Monthly expenditure for using communication technologies

1) 200- 500 BDT 2) 501-800 BDT 3) 801-1100 BDT 4) 1101 BDT-Above

18. Sources of money for using communication technology.

1) Own income 2) Family 3) Relatives 4) Others (Specify)…………

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19. How much time do you spend daily for communication?

SL Purposes Time Time Limit Code19.1 Talking over phone 1) 5-20min 2) 21-35 min 3) 36 min-Above19.2 Internet 1) 01-60min 2) 1hr-2hr 3) 2 hr-Above19.3 Television/Radio 1) 01-60min 2) 1hr-2hr 3) 2 hr-Above

Section C: Communication technology based crime and deviance in Bangladesh.

20. Have you ever involved in communication technology based deviant activities?

1) Yes 2) No

21. If yes, what are the Cell phone based Deviant activities you involved in:

1) Speaking/hearing song loudly over phone 2) Talking/browsing internet not

following privacy 3) Playing ringtones without cause 4) Excessive

playing games 5) Excessive browsing mobile internet 6) Disturbing someone

through missed call/call/SMS 7) Late night talking regularly 8) Habitually

unnecessary use before going to sleep 9) Spreading rumors 10) Create

pressure on family for buying cell phone 11) Others (Specify)………………….

22. If yes, what is the internet based Deviant activities you involved in:

1) Excessive time passing in the social networking media 2) Uploading and

posting nude videos and photos 3) Using fake account for bad intention 4)

Watch and download porn videos and photos 5) Attempt to cyber theft or

hacking 6) Others (Specify)……………....

23. If yes, what are the Television/Radio based Deviant activities you involved in:

1) Watch Television/hearing radio abnormally 2) Showing abnormal behavior

following Television/radio artist character 3) Not maintaining time schedule,

food habit, study period etc. 4) Others (Specify)……… …………

24. Have you ever involved in communication technology based criminal activities?

1) Yes 2) No

25. If yes, what type of Communication Technology based Criminal activities you

involved in?

1) Record secret moments without permission 2) Fraud/ Cheating 3) Threatening

4) Eve teasing 5) Illegal use in examination 6) Hacking/spreading virus

7) Organizing criminal activity 8) Talking over cell phone during driving

9) Keeping/sharing porn videos in cell phone/computers 10) Publishing fake or

controversial report/video/photo etc. for bad intention

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26. How have you got involved in such kind of deviant or criminal acts?

1) Provocation 2) Personal gain 3) Political gain 4) Searching entertainment

5) Curiosity 6) Other instigating factors (Specify)………………….

27. Any individual, community member, stranger or other persons are ever involved in

deviant activities?

1) Yes 2) No

28. If yes, what are the Cell phone based Deviant activities he/she involved in:

1) Speaking/hearing song loudly over phone 2) Talking/browsing internet not

following privacy 3) Playing ringtones without cause 4) Excessive playing

games 5) Excessive browsing mobile internet 6) Disturbing someone through

missed call/call/SMS 7) Late night talking regularly 8) Habitually unnecessary

use before going to sleep 9) Spreading rumors 10) Create pressure on family

for buying cell phone 11) Others (Specify)………………

29. If yes, what is the internet based Deviant activities he/she involved in:

1) Excessive time passing in the social networking media 2) Uploading and

posting nude videos and photos 3) Using fake account for bad intention

4) Watch and download porn videos and photos 5) Attempt to cyber theft or

hacking 6) Others (Specify)…….................

30. If yes, what are the Television/Radio based Deviant activities he/she involved in:

1) Watch Television/hearing radio abnormally 2) Showing abnormal behavior

following Television/radio artist character 3) Not maintaining time schedule,

food habit, study period etc. 4) Others (Specify)………………

31. Any individual, community member, stranger or other persons are ever involved in

criminal activities?

1) Yes 2) No

32. If yes, what type of Communication Technology based Criminal activities he/she

involved in: in?

1) Record secret moments without permission 2) Fraud/ Cheating 3) Threatening

4) Eve teasing 5) Illegal use in examination 6) Hacking/spreading virus

7) Organizing criminal activity 8) Talking over cell phone during driving

9) Keeping/sharing porn videos in cell phone/computers 10) Provocation/misguiding

from Television/Radio programs/natok/serial 11) Publishing fake or controversial

report/video/photo etc. for bad intention.

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33. How has he/she got involved in such kind of deviant or criminal acts?

1) Provocation 2) Personal gain 3) Political gain 4) Searching entertainment

5) Curiosity 6) Other instigating factors (Specify)………………

Section D: Social, cultural, economic, health, political, environmental etc. impactsof communication technology and modernization based dysfunction

34. According to you, what type of social dysfunction accelerating for abusing

communication technologies?

1) Divorce 2) Adultery 3) Separation 4) Pre marital sexual

relations 5) Sexual abuse/Verbal abuse 6) Rape/gang rape 7) Losing

family intimacy 8) Suicide tendency 9) Fraudgery 10) Cyber crime 11)

Delinquency rate 12) Disinterest in study 13) Others (Specify)…………

35. According to you, what type of Cultural dysfunction accelerating for abusing


1) Unable to retain own culture 2) Prevalence of imitation 3) Misguided

by other cultures 4) Increased dependency 5) Demand of extra need

6) Others (Specify)…………...

36. According to you, what type of Economic dysfunction accelerating for abusing


1) Prevalence of increased expenditure 2) Additional load to maintain unlimited

demand of family members 3) Motivated by irrational competition 4)

Domination of foreign technology 5) Others (Specify)………………

37. According to you, what type of Health related dysfunction found in you or in your

family members for using or abusing communication technologies?

1) Eye problem 2) Ear/Hearing problem 3) Change of food habit

4) Less beautification 5) Late morning rise 6) Sleepiness 7) Physical illness

8) Malfunction of genital organ 9) Others (Specify)………………

38. According to you, what type of Political dysfunction/instability accelerating for

abusing communication technologies?

1) Spreading propaganda 2) Political defamation/False publicity

3) Ill motive campaign 4) Religious furore/rage 5) Others (Specify)………

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39. According to you, what type of Environmental dysfunction accelerating for abusing


1) Noise pollution 2) Destroying natural biodiversity 3) Others (Specify)……….

40. According to you, what type of psychological dysfunction accelerating for abusing


1) Mental illness 2) Stressed 3) Traumatized 4) Mental breakdown

5) Suffered from depression 6) Increased temperament/Emotion/Excitement

7) Others (Specify) ……….

Section E: Issues and factors of abusing communication technologies in Bangladesh.

41. Identify some of the major issues and factors contribute abusing communication

technologies?

1) …………………………………………………………………………………

2) …………………………………………………………………………………

3) …………………………………………………………………………………

4) …………………………………………………………………………………

5) …………………………………………………………………………………

42. Suggestive measures to control abuse of communication technology.

1) …………………………………………………………………………………

2) …………………………………………………………………………………

3) …………………………………………………………………………………

4) …………………………………………………………………………………

5) …………………………………………………………………………………

Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Name of interviewer………………………….. ……

Signature………………..….. Date…………………

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Appendix 02: Location of Study Area

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Appendix 03: Some collected photos of dysfunctional use of communicationtechnologies.

Photo 1: One out of five Fake Facebook ID in the name of Hasanul Haq Innu, Minister,Ministry of Information of Government of Bangladesh (Source: The daily kaler kantha;dated: August 26, 2014).

Photo 2: Cyber criminal captured by the police from Narshingdi for blackmailing maleby opening fake female facebook ID (source: bdtoday.net; dated: 11 Sep, 2014).

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Photo 3: At least 40 people, including 38 students were killed at Mirsharai for bus crashwhere the truck driver was reportedly running the vehicle recklessly and talking over amobile phone just before the accident(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirsharai_bus_crash and teakdoor.com).

Photo 4: Modern science claiming, talking over cell phone may cause harm in brain byits released electromagnetic wave and children are most vulnerable (Source: internet).

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Photo 5: Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate of Bangladesh seized some409 illegally imported handsets of different brands worth about Tk 1.5 crore from twoshowrooms of Gadgets N Gear those International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)numbers are not registered and not be possible to trace the mobile sets or its users by lawenforcers if those are used in criminal activities (Source: The daily prothom alo; Dated:August 28, 2014).

Photo 6: Using cell phone before going to sleep (source: internet)

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Photo 7: An internet user can easily watch and download porn videos in the web freely(source: case respondent).

Photo 8: Watching, keeping and sharing sexual contents in the cell phone or web by theusers (source: case respondent).

University of Dhaka Bangladesh

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